Linux Opinions

Linux : Opinions : Want Linux on your desktop? Nine reasons to forget about it
Posted: ( Tue 12th Jun 2001 09:04:04[PM] UTC )
David Coursey offers some ideas for reforming people's, what he calls, "wrong-headed notions of Linux" and says that Linux will never become common as a desktop os, and no amount of believing will change that. It only makes adherents look stupid. Linux is too complex, and there isn't enough money to make it worth someone's time to build a really great environment for desktop apps. And then software companies would need to build applications, but how large a market is there?

Linux : Opinions : Learning from hackers
Posted: ( Sun 10th Jun 2001 10:52:19[PM] UTC )
"Managers can learn much from open-source practitioners, or hackers. Open-source hackers are people who `solve problems and build things.' Most engineers would be proud to be described that way. So would most project managers. So should we replace professional management ethics codes with the five hacker attitudes? I suggests starting with the last one and working backward. As a reward for your competence, support of freedom, reduction of others' drudgery, and appreciation that people should not waste their time and brainpower, you get to manage attacks on fascinating problems," says Cioffi.

Linux : Opinions : Linux at a turning point?
Posted: ( Sun 10th Jun 2001 09:47:02[PM] UTC )
According to Neal Leavitt, although Linux has grown in popularity, it may have reached a turning point at which it can either address several important challenges or face problems that could limit future adoption. Among the chief reasons for its limited future growth are fragmentation (there are close to 200 Linux distributions), a lack of mainstream commercial Linux applications, almost no groupware and limited support for databases containing more than a terabyte of data.

Linux : Opinions : Linux on an iPAQ
Posted: ( Sun 10th Jun 2001 09:24:40[PM] UTC )
"Though not properly considered a `Linux handheld' because it ships with WinCE, Compaq has designated it an "open handheld" and provided support for projects seeking to run Linux on it. For power users who want more, the iPAQ running Linux is a very versatile platform. Anyone interested in mobile, `personal' computing would be well rewarded giving Linux on an iPAQ a try. While not quite ready for end users yet, it is definitely worth experimenting with," says Chris Halsall in an overview of the Compaq iPAQ.

Linux : Opinions : Upgrading to the Linux 2.4 kernel
Posted: ( Thu 7th Jun 2001 08:03:58[PM] UTC )
Moshe Bar takes a look at upgrading your Linux installation to the 2.4 kernel. He also maintains that Linux distributions are declining in quality. "Why then, are the Linux distributions going backward? I think I have the answer: Money. Linux is now probably facing its most difficult moment. Had it maintained the hacker philosophy that drove it in the beginning, it would be far more isolated from problems like the New Economy crash and such", he says.

Linux : Opinions : Moving to Linux - Part 2: Settling in
Posted: ( Thu 7th Jun 2001 07:19:32[PM] UTC )
"Almost a month ago I wrote Part 1 of my series of articles on moving my business desktop to Linux. Many of you may be wondering: Have I had to go back to Windows? The answer is short and sweet: NO! Was everything about the move totally smooth? I would say my experiences were smooth enough that Bill G. & Co. should be worried. So the real question is - can I move my business workstation use to Linux? The answer is a definite YES!" writes William Henning.

Linux : Opinions : One agnostic's view on open source theology
Posted: ( Thu 7th Jun 2001 12:25:55[AM] UTC )
The most frustrating aspect of the open source crowd is the assumption that if you're not part of their solution you're part of the problem--that one must choose between Free Software and the Dark Side, as represented by"traditional" software companies such as Microsoft.

Linux : Opinions : My semi-annual security rant
Posted: ( Wed 6th Jun 2001 10:58:59[PM] UTC )
Dennis Powell, looking at a list of some of the worst recent privacy abuses, from weapon-sniffing scanners to the seemingly innocuous TiVO, talks about the ironies inherent in a computing community intent on maintaining its firewalls while personal privacy vanishes.

Linux : Opinions : Just call it 'GNU/Linux', insists Sun founder
Posted: ( Tue 5th Jun 2001 08:13:49[PM] UTC )
Richard Stallman's singular crusade to have Linux christened GNU/Linux got praise from an unexpected quarter. Sun Microsystem's chief scientist and co-founder, John Gage, credited RMS with creating the free software that made the Linux phenomenon possible, describing it as a `fifteen-year sleeper hit'. "Charitably, we bow to the former, but not without wondering where we would be without Linus...", says Gage.

Linux : Opinions : Why Johnny can't read Linux books
Posted: ( Tue 5th Jun 2001 01:46:57[AM] UTC )
What I really want to do is illustrate how one part of the technology industry is pulling away from Linux at a time when many people are jumping on the Linux bandwagon. I am referring to the group of technical book publishers that has an outlook on their title lists that is very similar to that of an oil explorer: If you don't strike it rich with a particular title or series, then move on to the next big idea just as fast as you can. And, should you strike it rich, then pump that well dry until there is nothing left but dust.

Linux : Opinions : When was the Linux desktop ever alive?
Posted: ( Tue 5th Jun 2001 01:27:43[AM] UTC )
"I have used Open Desktop, Looking Glass and OpenView. And now am a KDEfan. But none of them has ever made it as a big-time desktop operating environment and none of them ever will. It’s not that Unix/Linux is hard to use. The biggest problem is a perceived lack of end-user apps. In particular, Linux on the desktop needs Microsoft Office before it can become mainstream," says Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols.

Linux : Opinions : Linux still not ready for desktop prime time
Posted: ( Mon 4th Jun 2001 11:46:54[PM] UTC )
Last year, according to IDC, Linux captured only about 1.5 percent of the desktop PC market (which remains dominated by Windows). And Eazel, the most promising company trying to bring Linux to the masses, went out of business after failing to attract investors. But Linux desktop development is far from dead. Even if it's not ready for consumers, there is considerable demand from businesses that desire Linux's low cost, flexibility and control. In other words, there's no need to fear that ``Tux,'' Linux's penguin mascot,will become an endangered species.

Linux : Opinions : Jerry vs. Windows, Redux
Posted: ( Sun 3rd Jun 2001 07:44:47[PM] UTC )
"I'd advise paying Rebel a few hundred bucks more and get a system set up and ready to install. On the other hand, if you do that, you won't have heavy pressure to learn Linux fast because the NetWinder will be doing the crucial jobs while you get around to it," continues Jerry Pournelle.

Linux : Opinions : Your network's secret life - Part 1
Posted: ( Sun 3rd Jun 2001 06:40:32[PM] UTC )
Your Network's Secret Life, a series by Marcel Gagné, offers an overview of network management and visualization tools. Here he says, "One of the single most effective (and overlooked) network discovery tools is netstat. It comes bundled with every Linux distribution, and it can tell you a great deal about what is happening on your server. For instance, by using the program with the -a and -p flags, you can find every connection (or port) open on your system and what programs are using those ports."

Linux : Opinions : Why 2001 is not the 'Year of the Penguin'
Posted: ( Thu 31st May 2001 08:03:40[PM] UTC )
"2001 is not going to be the year of the Penguin for home or business users that have yet to adopt Linux. Although Linux has grown by leaps and bounds during the last few years, it is still plagued with a lot of issues that will keep it away from being a 100 percent viable alternative to Windows for a long time. At the top of the list comes the simple fact that Linux, by design, is not a common person's operating system. Linux, like Unix, was designed with networking in mind and network security. Still, I hold out hope for Linux. Should the next few years show us more improvements, perhaps it will, one day, be a great threat to Microsoft. I do think we'll see more companies using Linux for some of their file/print servers, but as far as Linux being a desktop replacement for most average computer users and businesses, well, there's always next year."