[ILUG] Is Linux dying?

[Steven Satelle]

Paul O'Malley wrote:

>On the subject of 'Distros' I do not concur that all these companies
>from Mandrakesoft, through Shaolin, SuSE, or Redhat are not contributing
>to the community. You may not know it but SuSE has a team working on
>OpenOffice - that work goes back to the community. Redhat - fedora, need
>I say more Mandrakesoft have an FTP version called 'Community', and so
>on and so forth. Maybe I will leave Sun out of it for a moment, perhaps 
>I should not so I will not, look at OpenOffice and gnome teams would
>really be where you should look. 
>  
>

I didn't know about suse and had completely forgotten about openoffice 
despite the fact I use it every day :-)

>The whole distro scene is where companies look at the market and figure
>that there are people like you and I who can see the benefit of Linux,
>in my case some of the time as a development platform, some times as a
>web server, a mail transfer device and so on, even a games platform. 
>Perhaps I do not have all day every day to look at each bug and so maybe
>I outsource the correction of bugs and I buy a distro and subscribe to a
>service that is provided for a period that updates that version of the
>software for me and I do not have to think, let alone worry about
>patching as I have it managed for me, that is what I pay for.
>
>When Richard M. Stallman first started with "Free Software" he used to
>charge about $150 for a tape if I recall correctly, in the mid eighties
>this was not a lot if you had a computer, as they cost a fortune. He did
>provide the source, and in a way that could be distributed without
>charge if that is how you choose it to be. He was paid for the work.
>Now if your friend bought it they could give it to you, or charge for
>it, there is no problem with that.
>So Steven Satelle could put together a set of packages of Debian based
>packages charge for it and as long as he provides the source for 3 years
>(iirc) and call it S-Debs. Where is the problem with that?
>
>
>  
>
Paul, thanks for the reply, I don't mind paying for a distro although 
the last one I bought was libranet nearly 2 years ago, I mainly stick to 
debian core.I have a problem with Xandros who provide a debian based 
system that is supposed to be 'slicker' than knoppix, They have always 
been a pay only company but I heard last month that they were now 
providing a download edition. When I went to download it to see if it 
was as good as they claimed there was various notices, such as it 
doesn't provide crossover office,no email support, etc, etc and it just 
seemed to me to be saying "here it is take it or get stuffed" It seemed 
very ungrateful to the people (the linux community) who provided them 
with a product to sell.
I just took another look at the site and while I cant find anything to 
point to and say 'there thats my problem' it still seems very wrong.
I suppose I don't have a problem with any one thing but with lots of  
smaller things like software patents (NOT SMALLER I know) or a wonderful 
government announcing that despite the studies and case files, ms are 
cheaper and more secure than linux.
I think its that I have a problem with all the large mega mega 
corporations taking over or getting involved with anything. Anything 
I've been involved in that they got involved in has always turned from a 
lot of fun to mind blowing drudgery. So my mind is split between 
cheering when another large group decide to go with linux, and booing 
when one of the mega's get involved.
With them it isn't techs who sit up half the night trying to get their 
new sound card to play oggs who are in charge, but lawyers or managers 
don't know or care how to pronounce vi.
By the way, I had also forgotten about sun releasing looking glass under 
the gpl :-)