CNNfn Cover Story on RedHat/Linux

Fudge.Org writes "There is a promo link on CNNFN.COM. It mentions RedHat being born in a garage and/or college dorm, and how it will topple the Bill Gates empire. The article should show up some time today. " Someone yell when this link goes live.

Press Problems

[Gleef]

That's a problem with the press (particularly the US press), not RedHat. Every release from RedHat I've seen has been pretty clear that they are one of many distributions of Linux. The US media is scarily corporate-centric.

Redhat Problems

[Eccles]

Mandrake, Debian, et al are all available at Cheapbytes for about the sale amount as the sales tax you would pay if you bought a copy of Windows 98. Downloading is not required.

Mandrake in particular is based on Red Hat with modifications aimed at being a better distribution for end users, so it (at least from a code point of view) might be a better way for Linux to go mainstream.

Promo-teaser is summary of an oversimplification

[smithdog]

The good news is that all the mainstream media are reporting about free software. Could this be the result of a Microsoft PR campaign designed to help soften the remedy that the US DOJ will impose when the anti-trust trial concludes?

Redhat Problems

[Prothonotar]

I think the story is about Red Hat in particular, with general background info including the history of Linux. You have to remember, CNN-Forbes is a financial news magazine. They probably picked Red Hat because Red Hat is the biggest Linux distributor in America, with significant investments from Intel and Netscape, and is now getting major support from IBM (although IBM has hinted that they may support other distros in the future).

These journalists aren't up with all the politics in the Linux world, and so, from a purely business-oriented view, Red Hat seems the most logical Linux-based company to profile (the segment is, apparently, on how a company can build a business model around Linux [and free software in general]).

--
Aaron Gaudio
"The fool finds ignorance all around him.

Redhat Problems

[RedOctober]

Perhaps spending hours learning a new OS isn't acceptable for 99% of the population. Sure for a few geeks, college students, and people with free time this is fine. Microsoft is not evil, it is the PC's best chance at being accepted by everyone. If you think software monopolies are evil, use OS/2 or even DRDOS before they die, but stop your damn whining.

Redhat Problems

[Darkwing Duck]

Its my opinion (underline that word) that RH is getting all the press because they are offering _SUPPORT_ for the Linux OS. Its true that most of the general populous don't want to spend the hours of hacking away at text files and learning a new OS. Most simply want to pick up the phone and ask someone "How do I fix this?". This includes a LARGE number of companies. RH is offering that type of support, and as to my knowledge (which I admit is somewhat limited in this particular field) RH is the only one doing it right now.

Promo-teaser is summary of an oversimplification

[Darkwing Duck]

Not the first time this idea has popped up in conversations, but.. The question is, if M$ is pushing the Linux reports (and possibly encouraging some of its "backers" to adopt Linux as an alternative) it has opened a dangerous door. There have been some OS' out there that have been a LOT better than DOS, and just as good as Linux (AmigaOS IMHO) that didn't survive because of no press... Linux is a knife at M$'s throat.. perhaps a pen knife right now, but a knife all the same

linux doubling, tripling, quadrupling every year?

[MS]

I read "number of Linux users keep doubling every year". But didn't I read somewhere else, the number of linux users is doubling every six months or quadripling every year?