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Linux Business Software Linux

Have The Suits Changed Linux? 25

Posted by timothy from the button-up-shirts-are-very-comfy dept.
rcunnings points out this "interesting story about the assimilation of one prominent Linux hacker into the business of Linux. Sushi anyone?" Linus himself has always seemed a perfect pragmatist, and in this article he implies that corporations are benefiting everyone when they act as -- his term -- "sponsors."
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Have The Suits Changed Linux? More

Have The Suits Changed Linux?

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  • The suits haven't taken over (Score:5, Interesting)

    by echeslack ( 618016 ) on Tuesday September 14, 2004 @10:00PM (#10252140) Homepage Journal

    "Now the suits are cutting checks and running the show."

    But that really isn't true. They may have some influence on the direction development takes, but anybody can still contribute, and there are plenty of kernel hackers not being paid to do specific things. And besides, isn't Linus paid, but pretty much can do anything he wants?

    That's one of the great things about free software - people can pretty much do with it as they please without necessarily taking control of it. Sure, companies may pay for certain features to be added, removed, fixed, whatever, but somebody is always free to just keep their own tree without those patches.

    I don't see the suits ever taking over linux.

    • Agreed (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Hell, notice what happened: Linus said "I don't trust companies; I trust people." How can an OS be developed by volunteers in their spare time? Well, some of them are full-time volunteers who get sponsorship. But they're still basically working for the public good. The code is GPLed, so it can't die, and the judgement of what's good enough to be included is still trustworthy.

      NetApp gets access to Trond, and Linux/NetApp problems will get debugged fast, but how is this a bad thing? All code in Linux is
    • I would say that with Linux we have the best of both worlds. Some commercial programs are certainly worth buying for Linux, while for other applications a free program might be best. Linux is more and more all about freedom of choice.

  • What's the big deal (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Stevyn ( 691306 ) on Tuesday September 14, 2004 @10:48PM (#10252526)
    I RTFA and I don't see what the big deal is. Companies want to support Linux because they believe as a lot of people here do that it can revolutionize computing and they don't want to be left behind. They can't simply buy it so they influence it's contributors directly and indirectly. Bill Gates hasn't done much to innovate computing and he's the richest guy in America. Obviously that way of doing things wasn't best for everybody so we have a new system here. Let's see how this pans out.

    • Re:What's the big deal (Score:4, Interesting)

      by JohnFluxx ( 413620 ) on Wednesday September 15, 2004 @04:42AM (#10254272)
      The "big deal" is simple a justified worry that companies may push linux to go in the direction they want.

      For example, I remember a company submitting a load of 'bug reports' where a desktop didn't work like MS Windows, then produced a load of patches to fix it. (Stuff like renaming the trash can to use the same name as MS Windows)

      I personally think it will work itself out, but I can see why some might worry.

    • I don't care if "suits" that drive the influx of and pay for the installation of Linux F/LOSS into infrastructures as long as they fundamentally or nearly 100% respect GNU, GPL, F/LOSS, copyleft, etc.

      It behooves them to encourage more people to "scratch an itch" by producing more Linux code.

      Eventually, despite the mainstream corps' attempts to sew up or hijack virutally all conceivable "IP" by calling new or innovative spins "mere extensions" of their protected IP, the new adoptees will have to weigh in o

  • I support Open Source and I repect Free Software (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Ridgelift ( 228977 ) on Wednesday September 15, 2004 @12:02AM (#10252925)
    I thought we were all for the idea of companies supporting Open Source by paying developers for their work? So what if it's a lot of golden handshakes, everything's being done out in the open with the source code available for all to see.

    I support Open Source software because it embraces the economic realities of a capitalist society. I respect Free Software and Richard Stallman for the contributions that he's made, but I don't need the guilt trip that I use Linux, GNU & Windows.

    Software development is all just a grand experiment. I want to see which method produces the best software. So far, there's no perfect way.

  • I wouldn't worry... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Tore S B ( 711705 ) on Wednesday September 15, 2004 @12:11AM (#10253001) Homepage
    The GPL is automatic democracy. Anyone can work on it, it can't be closed, and improvements will be universally availible.

    The only potential consequences I see is that developers get paid for working on OSS, and that OSS will be more widely adopted. I don't see the problem here.

    • Re:I wouldn't worry... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The cost is feature direction. A lot of slashbots would like to see Linux more competitive with Windows on the desktop.

      But the commercial interests that control key components (kernel, glibc, gnome, etc) don't give a shit about competing with Windows and only aim to outscale Solaris on big boxes and be slightly less paleolithic than CDE/Motif for engineering workstations. Which is reflected greatly in the final product. (Linux went from a toy to a Solaris-Killer in a few short years, but still lacks the to
      • Yes but those guns like IBM are now moving to replacing there work desktops with linux. We see novell buying up desktop part. Server has for the most aren't going away and by many experts have been won now we can move on to the desktop. As it was put once. 2.4 was about scaling up. 2.6 was about scaling down. Big companys see linux in corp workstations and embeded devices. I have noticed in the last Year that desktop linux is make leap and bonds. Money is starting to flow into the development of des

  • Linux changed? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by atomic-penguin ( 100835 ) <wolfe21@marsFREEBSDhall.edu minus bsd> on Wednesday September 15, 2004 @12:38AM (#10253188) Homepage Journal
    Have the suits changed Linux, yes. Well, indirectly at least.

    You have this company NetApp, they have an embedded online storage built on top of NFS. The problem it doesn't work well with Linux. Not because of a problem with their product but with the Linux kernel itself. So they go to Linus and offer to fix the NFS. He declines and pretty much tells them I only want Trond to work on it, because I trust him and not a company. So they go and hire Trond, pay him big bucks for him to approve the code to go into the kernel.

    So the question was have suits changed Linux? Short answer, yes. Long answer, yes, but in a good way for the company, kernel hackers, and everyone in general. Company makes more from sales because of less money spent on supporting Linux. Kernel Hacker make more money, because Linus trusts him. Everybody else reaps the benefits of having better code, isn't that great?
    • As long as the code stays open, and as long as there isn't skullduggery where netApp gets a change pushed into the kernel for the purpose of hindering one of their competitors.

      Before and after corporate involvement, Linux was about the struggle for excellence. That aligns simply with corporations and others, since they want the best computing base they can get. As long as coporate contributions are pushing in that same direction, great.

      I don't see any kernel maintainers knowingly including skullduggerous

  • This is a GoodThing(tm) (Score:4, Insightful)

    by yuri benjamin ( 222127 ) <yuridg@gmail.com> on Wednesday September 15, 2004 @02:21AM (#10253734) Journal
    Like most of the other posts so far, I see the corporate sponsership as a Good Thing(tm). The GPL prevents a complete takeover, meanwhile companies get to fix things to make linux work with their products.

    Developers have the option of working for one of the hardware manufacturers, so they can feed their families while working on something they feel passionate about, and everyone wins.

    I think we owe a great debt to RMS for the GPL, which makes this possible without a complete takeover.

  • MSNBC and Linux (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tod_miller ( 792541 ) on Wednesday September 15, 2004 @03:55AM (#10254121) Journal
    "hippie-esque programmers who disdained revenue and profit, advocating a "peace, love and software" vision of Linux"

    Wow, what a great tribute to those who worked hard to establish GPL and protect everyone from massive setbacks in technology and growing costs because of proprietary and dynfunctional software.

    "And though some Linux zealots still consider themselves part of a quasi-religious movement,"

    Zealot, quasi-religious? No really, how subtle are you trying to be? As a linux user even I felt mildly embarrassed at using linux now...

    Very interesting:

    "these days Linux is looking a lot like any other technology product, even those made by Microsoft"

    So here they are saying, linux is nothing special, and now look just like the things Microsoft churns out. Talk about downplaying.

    "the company Linux wonks hate most."

    Wonk: One who studies an issue or a topic excessively.

    But most people see 'wonk' as a crazy word, so therefore it is rather insulting.

    "The rise of the middleman"

    Try: A whole new powerful economy built around opensource that proves its viability in promoting growth in a market that lost 400k jobs in the US since 2001.

    "Big companies pick up the tab for Linux development"

    Big companies have seen the light of linux and invest heavily to ensure they do not die out.

    Thank you MSNBC. I hope to see more of you articled /. in the future. not.
    • where do you think the MS in msnbc comes from? it's a partnership between NBC, and, you guessed it.. Microsoft. i wonder whether it's biased...

      it would seem to be so, heavily, based on the choice quotes you used. i just wouldn't expect it to be "fair and balaced", to use a Newscorp trademark.
      • Where do you think the suspiscion stems from in my comment? :-) of course I know MS is behind it, which is why I state there are subtle nudges at linux, that are far more hurtful.

        If msnbc said linux is crap, then noone would take it seriously.

        Nudging at linux and using this language is very harmful to the image of linux.

        That is why I disected it quite heavily.

      • Re:MSNBC and Linux (Score:3, Informative)

        by ClippyHater ( 638515 )
        You should probably check the source [forbes.com] of the article before getting too paranoid.

        Of course MSNBC DID pick it up, but I would be surprised if they were the only ones.
    • Wow, what a great tribute to those who worked hard to establish GPL and protect everyone from massive setbacks in technology and growing costs because of proprietary and dynfunctional software.

      Linux and the GPL did not save us, the "vaccuum" would have been filled by something. Most likely BSD. The computing world would have been pretty much as it is now. In short, Linux is great, but unique or irreplacable it is not.

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