[ILUG] Is Linux dying?

[Paul O'Malley]

Hi Steven,

Y is slicker than Knoppix or Debian. 
I have used Xandros in its full format and conclude that it is slick. It
has software that costs it's supplier a pretty penny or four to licence.
To the question is it worth it? The market for Xandros is the software
user in an office that is relying on software of a strange closed source
nature. They feel comfort that they have not committed 100% and get
support to help them move away from the solution they used yesterday.
This by the way does not imply that Mandrakesoft, or SuSE or others
could not do the same job, it is just they were mentioned in the mail.
It is not so much a "get stuffed" stance as a we believe that you can
get business benefit from this combination of tools, the real benefit
from where I stand is the introduction of an alternative into the
business.
The patent argument is different to the general trend of the mail. It is
a restriction and impediment to business, both on the supply side and
more important on the customer side. The only people who really benefit
from it as far as I can see are those in the patent office and the legal
profession and those who want to stifle innovation, and creation.
With regard to the position you take to the government, it is my belief
that they have been badly advised, or lobbied and not just from our
side. It is in particular bad for our side of the argument (as if it
needs clarification - the anti software patent side) when emotive
arguments are made, in plain every day English software patents break
the ability of businesses to innovate. Can you, IBM or Microsoft check
every relevant patent before you implement a technology and stay in
business with a reasonable time to market, I doubt it.
With regard to Mega Mega * where * is a corporation, large organisations
need rule bases or the janitor ends up selling the trash and it becomes
the core business. Large organisations have given a lot to Linux, they
will continue to give, why am I convinced of this, my simplistic answer
is they gain more than they give, and hey that is good all round. On
this one I say wait and see, I will be shown to be right as long as it
is not made illegal, and do you think that IBM want that? If nothing
else they can use it as a stick to get better pricing from you know who.
Cheer, and be aware that is the best position to adapt. At the risk of
being accused of being flippant I propose to adapt the NRA argument,
software is not used by companies, it is used by people and the more
people that use Linux the better the feedback the more the improvements.
If lawyers did not seek to protect their clients, who would? I do agree
that their weapons of choice are not things that you or I would like to
be involved with, however I think you would agree that it is nice to
have there if you require a remedy of another uncooperative entity.
e.g. I am not a coder by trade, however some people I know are, I was
able to explain a bug in sufficient detail to a friend of mine that he
fixed the problem for me, and the rest of the world.
Staying up late can be fun for a hobbyist but it is not the way to run a
business.
vi is pronounced 6 if you speak roman numerals or "V I" if you hack the
source. It is not the job of the pointy haired boss* to understand what
the computer does at any one stage, or what tools are used to get it to
do that. All they need to know and understand is that a job of work X
will cost N and they have the tools (Linux where applicable) to do the
job with.
Proof of this concept is simple, to drive a car, do you need to know the
following?
(A) the rules of the road
(B) How exactly the battery and spark plug work together at a sub atomic
level to create the explosion that creates the horsepower that the
clutch assists in getting the the driving wheels.

I hope this helps, my next mail will be later on Sunday or Monday
depending on how the day goes ;-)

Ya all have fun now.

Regards,

Paul
* all credits to Scott Adams where they are due