Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 08:09:14 +0800
From: ckhung@mail.cyut.edu.tw (Hung(2) Chao(2)-Kuei(4))
To: pgrote@i1.net
Subject: Re: http://lwn.net/1998/0910/a/compunotes2.html

Mr. Grote,

I am sorry that some of the Linux advocates used improper language
in their response to your note
	http://lwn.net/1998/0827/a/compunotes.html
On the other hand, I can't help pointing out that your original
note _did_ show insulting tone that does not look professional and
technical. It's no surprise that it invites what you got.

Now here is my 2 cents: Your view is much too static for a dynamic
world like information industry.

Tech support: _Today_ there are probably only a few hundred companies
    providing Linux tech support in the world, and probably only a dozen
    or so are comparable in size to RedHat or Caldera.
	ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/Consultants-HOWTO
Books: _Today_ there are probably not too many writers writing about
    Linux. I can only find a dozen or so different Chinese books here
    in Taiwan.
Software: I haven't researched into finding an accounting software. Let's
    say it didn't exist yet (which I really really doubt, but anyway),
    _today_.

All your arguments are about what Linux has got to offer _today_. But
what was Linux like a few years ago? Tell you what, even I didn't want
to use Linux 4 years ago. I paid less than $100 for OS/2 2.0 and later
Warp. It worked great. It even ran Windows 3.1 programs, which Linux still
has some problems with _today_.

But why did I switch to Linux, use it not only at home, at work, but also
set up a Pentium 200 box running Linux, providing 300 student accounts,
40 of which usually run g++ compiler at the same time? Why did I ask
students to learn Perl/Tk so that they can write applications more portable
and faster than using VB when there is not much market demand for Perl/Tk
_today_?

When you want to see how much higher an up-shooting ball can go, and
whether it will stay in the high grounds, do you just look at where it
is _now_? Is the ball at an higher altitude even really going upwards at
all? Is it sufficient to take just one picture? I researched and answered
these questions, and therefore switched from OS/2 to Linux.

It's too hard to explain when you didn't do your homework reading about
the force behind free software and the trend it's going to bring. You
might want to start from
	http://www.opensource.org/
After reading all their articles, if you still don't think that the Linux
market will grow, then so be it. You can go back to preach your MS Windows
to your readers; and we will _create_ market for Linux. We don't care
how much higher MS Windows is than Linux _today_.

We see the movement of which _today_ is only one single picture.
We see the future.

Regards,

Chao-Kuei Hung
ckhung@cyut.edu.tw
http://www.cyut.edu.tw/~ckhung

Associate Professor
Chaoyang University of Technology
Taiwan