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See also: last week's Linux in the news page.

Linux in the news


Linux press coverage this week had little in the way of unifying themes, so this page this week is an unstructured collection of articles. The good news is that no truly negative press showed up this week, and that a couple of interesting positive articles were published. The media still likes Linux.

The Guardian, continuing its recent interest in Linux, has this nice editorial on how the Microsoft trial isn't really one of the more important things going on now. "Linux clearly has considerable strengths as a server operating system, and if Microsoft falters and lets it in, its progress to the desktop would simply become a matter of nature taking its course. The DoJ case against Microsoft will barely affect these events, if at all."

For those who wish to be preached at, here is a sermon on Linux from Network World Fusion. "Brothers and sisters, there is another way . . . the way of Linux. Yes, this humble son of Unix is as a beacon in the darkness that is the lot of IT managers everywhere." (NW Fusion is a registration-required site).

Rex Baldazo at builder.com has put out an article correcting a couple of mistakes in his previous NT 5.0 vs. Linux column. Since then, he has discovered tools like PHP and linuxconf. He also mentions that he was subjected to the tender attentions of the Linux Flame Mob. This sort of behavior is unfortunate in any case, but Mr. Baldazo had written a very positive column. Why do we have to turn friendly people against us? (This one found in LinuxWorld).

Upside magazine covers Linux again; this time is more positive, however. The author went to a Bay area installfest to see what was up. "As I played with a computer, admiring the quick responses of the Linux desktop, I couldn't help but feel a bit like a reporter visiting a Barcelona cafe in late 1936, listening in on conversations about the upcoming spring offensive." (Found in Slashdot).

A giant killer called Linux in the Canadian "CNews" is a fairly standard sort of introductory article. "And it's flexible. Check out www.enlightenment.org for a look at some wild and wacky customized desktops and windows." Their staff listingincludes a "Linux guru". (Found in LinuxToday).

News.com ran a brief article about Informix's plans to ship their Dynamic Database server for Linux.

Internet Week interviews Sun's John McFarlane. "We actually think Linux is very complementary to our commitment to open systems, and unfettered innovation. As you know, we have made Solaris freely available for non-commercial use." (Found in OS News).

TechWeb covers the increasing number of applications available for Linux, touching on Corel, Informix, and even the possibility that SAP will make its R/3 port (alleged to already exist) available. "The Linux operating system is all about free or low-cost software, an area where the cost structures of SAP or enterprise-strength relational databases aren't going to fly."

Internet World has published some good letters to the editor. These are in response to a column from last week stating that Linux was more of a threat to Sun than to Microsoft.

The future of computing starts with an L in PC Week is a column inspired by the Atlanta Linux Showcase. "What I saw at the Linux Showcase was enthusiasm, the likes of which I haven't seen in the PC industry for a long time. Sure, some of it was from guys in ponytails and T-shirts, but it was also from guys in suits. Academics and scientists, but also businessmen." (Thanks to Jon Lasser).

Here's a fun one from InfoWorld's "security" column: "If you're an anxious security manager hesitant to deploy a Linux system for fear of its gaping security problems, two recently released Unix programs will give you a reason. These new Linux-based hacker tools enable TCP fingerprinting: a new way to scan your systems to decipher the the operating system type." One has to wonder what the fact that tools like "Queso" run under Linux has to do with any "gaping security problems."

Columnist Maggie Biggs also takes Linux to task for a lack of development tools. "But there is certainly more room for Linux tool offerings. I think there is a much broader market for Linux application development tools. And, I believe you'll see it evolve and mature during the next 12 to 18 months given the demand."

The Ottawa Citizen reports on various changes at Corel, including a switch of auditors and the departure of their "director of software sales" for Linux.

For German-capable readers, Hartmut Oldenbuerger pointed out this forum in Der Spiegel. It had well over 300 postings when we checked.

Here is an InfoWorld article about Oracle's position on Linux. Good stuff. "According to [Oracle VP] Miner, support from Red Hat, S.U.S.E., and Caldera -- all of whom who distribute Linux -- is faster and better than Oracle's own support, and he is looking to the Linux community for new ideas on how to replicate this high level of customer satisfaction." (Found in Slashdot).

This article in Performance Computing is cast as a comparison between Linux and FreeBSD, with an obvious bias (the author is a FreeBSD developer). The comparisons, though, are mostly in the area of development models and license terms - there is very little in the way of technical comparison. "These differences in organizational principles and licensing aside, however, it should be noted that Linux and FreeBSD don't really compete with one another all that much in the final analysis." Worth a read. (Thanks to Didier Legein).

Edson Pereira sent us a pointer to this article in Data Communications about the "Healthnet" global medical network. This net, which is deployed worldwide, uses Linux systems for some of its components. (The first explicit Linux reference is three pages in).

Web Review asks Can Microsoft Hurt Linux?. "If Microsoft perceives Linux as a potential threat in the desktop OS market, which is not impossible, it will unleash the nukes. But even the server market is too crucial for Microsoft to concede, and Linux is more than a threat there, it's the incumbent. So the only question is how Microsoft will meet the threat of Linux." Answers include FUD, closed hardware, and so on. An interesting column.

Peter Link sent us a pointer to this New York Times article which contains a quick Linux reference. It's about the U. S. Postal Service and its use of technology to get the snail mail to its destination. The USPS address recognition machines run "a stripped-down version of Linux". (The NY Times is a registration-required site).

More coverage of HP, but according to this article in The Register they are looking mostly at Linux for embedded systems. " This Web appliance concept provides a role for PA-Risc in the post-Merced world. Whether Linux will be the host OS, of course, remains to be seen, not least because of Microsoft's own plans to create an embeddable version of NT. However, it would offer clear price and performance advantages." Thanks to "mm" for the pointer.

HP tries Linux on for size in news.com confirms that HP is working on a PA-RISC port, and talks about the 2.2 kernel release. Its message is mixed. "Linux will top out at its 'high-water mark' in the commercial area soon, [HP marketing director] Wilson predicted, because the operating system doesn't have a formal support system and doesn't handle large-scale server computing tasks such as workload balancing or resource sharing." Thanks to Roy Stogner.

Linux's appeal compels large firms to respond appears in MSNBC, reprinted from the Wall Street Journal. "Linux, like Windows NT, is generally used on PC-style hardware and Intel chips, which tend to be cheaper than the more-specialized circuitry of most Unix machines. For these reasons, some market watchers say, companies such as Sun may be even more vulnerable than Microsoft. Sun's Mr. Andres conceded the Linux boom could be "a two-edged sword" for his company."

There was an interesting burst of articles in the electronics trade press. These include:

  • 'Real' designers reject Windows NT in EDTN Network gives a fair amount of space to Linux. "From the EDA-vendor perspective, however, there are two problems with Linux. One is that most of the interest is coming from rank-and-file engineers, not the managers who sign purchase orders. Secondly, there's a support issue."

  • Here is a somewhat confusing column in Control Magazine which seems to be saying that Linux bears watching. (Thanks to Jay Sigbrandt).

  • Then, there is this long and absolutely positive article in Test & Measurement World. "Why have many engineers moved to Linux? Because of the freedom it provides."

  • EE Times continues talking about systems for engineering desktops. this article talks about how NT isn't moving into this realm as quickly as expected, and it devotes a fair amount of space to why Linux won't get there either. "The multiple-OS problem is also why EDA vendors shy away from Linux. Although the port itself is almost painless, the support is a nightmare. One vendor offered tools on Linux and ended up with four orders. Unfortunately, all four customers had a different flavor of Linux."

  • EE Times also has an interview with Linus Torvalds. "I think that perception-wise, we're in pretty good shape, and I think the major obstacle now is it's kind of hard to find cold, hard numbers of how many people are using Linux, because a lot of them are getting it over the Internet." (Thanks to "mm").

October 29, 1998

``We actually think Linux is very complementary to our commitment to open systems, and unfettered innovation.''
John McFarlane
(Sun Microsystems) Internet Week

``And as for the assertion that technical support for Linux needs to be equal to that available for commercial operating systems, the support would first need to drop a couple of notches in quality, since right now it is far superior to the support Novell or Microsoft provide.''
Ricardo Palma Internet World

``According to [Oracle VP] Miner, support from Red Hat, S.U.S.E., and Caldera -- all of whom who distribute Linux -- is faster and better than Oracle's own support, and he is looking to the Linux community for new ideas on how to replicate this high level of customer satisfaction''
Benjamin Keyser InfoWorld

``Whether or not Linux takes over the PC market, it is already beginning to show that some of the challenges facing the industry have a resolution.''
Erica Schroeder PC Week

 

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