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

Linux in the news


Here is some of the best press we have seen in a while: Linux: The Back Door Is Open in ZDNN. The days of "Linux is hot, but poses no threat to Microsoft" are over. Even though it looks like we're heading into prime FUD: "Yet, the idea that Linux could become a serious alternative to Windows still seems absurd, a dream born of desperation. How could any responsible company think about putting an operating system with no unified marketing or support organization to work in 'mission-critical' situations?" But read on..."...Linux's rise to prominence could prove exquisitely timed: Get Linux onto servers; wait for a decent interface and better office applications to develop; then, move onto the desktop. All the while, keep emphasizing that support will come from the thousands of Linux developers -- all who understand its inner workings and who don't work for a single monolithic software company." This guy also has a clue as to what "free software" really means. The Must Read article of the week. (Found in Linux Reviews).

Moshe Vainer sent us a pointer to this PBS Online article which is also some of the most positive press we have seen in a long time. "But what scares Microsoft most of all about Linux is the defection of developers, which are beginning to make Linux a very popular platform for server applications." No support FUD here either: "...if you saw the story that flew around the 'Net recently comparing Microsoft tech support with the Psychic Friends Network, you'll realize that just because Microsoft has a big support operation doesn't mean you'll actually get a solution to your problem." Give this one a read.

On the other hand, "Stormbringer" sent us a link to this San Jose Mercury articleentitled "Linux Muxcles In", yes, spelled that way. This is a tremendously low-clue introductory article, and rather disdainful at best. "...I believe the operating system was developed to give old, retired UNIX devotees something to do..." The term "shareware" is much used in this article, followed by "Also, I've been told that Oracle Corp. is planning to release Oracle 8 for Linux, which could be another big blow to Microsoft's dominance." He has "been told"? One would think that a quick trip to Oracle's web site might not be a bad idea before sounding off. (Please, if you respond to this guy, do so in a polite and rational way).

Computerworld has a brief article about Oracle and Linux. "Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said it is possible that Linux will become the standard Unix for PC-based systems."

The Irish Times continues its Linux series with a description of the author's (somewhat difficult) experience installing OpenLinux on his machine.

Informix speaks up about why it chose to port to Linux and the promise they see for the future. Steve Lambright, from Informix, comments, We believe there will be a wave of Linux moving into the enterprise. Apparently feedback from their user group was the primary reason for going ahead with the port. All you Informix on Linux advocates can pat yourself on the back for your success.

This article in The Register brings a more critical view to the news that Dell has been selling Linux-installed machines. "More cynical observers are suggesting that in a few months, Dell will be able to say that it tried Linux, but too few people wanted it."

This Internet Week article talks about how simple, "good enough" standards tend to win out over complicated, centrally controlled ones. "And what about Microsoft? The tea leaves say its Windows- and COM-centric empire could eventually come crashing down. Perhaps the open source Linux operating system can be the next wild card to win by the Web rules."

"Intel Corp. is planning to offer support for Linux on Merced at the same time as it supports Windows NT, which will be as soon as the 64-bit chip becomes available in mid-1999, said an Intel spokesman Wednesday at a San Francisco panel on Linux." This quote, coming from this ZDNet article is the clearest indication yet from Intel that they want Linux on their new chip.

This short ZDNet article entitled "Linux Builds Momentum" covers some recent events without adding a whole lot. "[Intel manager] Saxena confirmed that Intel's own engineers are enthusiastic users of Linux". There is also a variant of the same article in PC Week.

Here is a rumor column in an Amiga magazine describing the author's discovery of Linux. "But now I see what all the fuss is about. Linux really is what it's cracked up to be - a sleek, fast, powerful, technologically sound OS that takes real advantage of PC hardware you'd never think of running Windows on. Unfortunately, it's also what it's cracked up to be - difficult to install, too complex for a casual user, and forget about user interface design." (Found in Linux Resources).

Infoworld's Laura Wonnacott gave building a kernel under Linux a try and reported back. This process is lengthy but fairly painless, so we thought we would share the steps involved. It is good to see this type of technical information being shared in one of the more prominent magazines.

A fairly straightforward article in PC Week talks about embedded databases and Linux as a good solution for medium-sized applications.

Didier Legein told us about this article in LAN Times. This one, like some mentioned in this week's newsletter, talks about the sort of feedback they have been getting from Linux users. "These letters ranged from those with a beer-addled 'Woohoo! Linux ROCKS!' approach to academic dissertations on technological history and the overall relevance of platform independence and freedom in general. But there was consistency in that they were nearly all positive, with very few that disagreed with our decision to run the article, or to its premise that Linux is, in fact, making waves in the corporate setting."

Alistair Gunn wrote in about this article in Unix & NT News. It's a lengthy introductory article with a few minor accuracy problems, but not too bad overall. "Many ISV's will be attracted to Linux because it provides them with a market in which they don't have to rely on Microsoft's goodwill."

An article in Computer Dealer News, Linux Gains High Profile, talks of the increasing interest in the system. The total message is mixed, but you can't beat something like this: "[Apropos] estimates that Linux will add US$250,000 to its bottom line, while saving its customers an equal amount in the next year." (Found in Linux Reviews).

The French La Tribune has a whole series of articles on free software ("logiciels libres"). French-capable readers will simply want to go to the La Tribune page that ties in all the articles. For the rest of you, here's a set of Babelfish pointers; click on "translate" once you get there.

Thanks to the NNL mailing listfor this one.

Susanne Schmidt and Juergen Quade wrote in with pointers to a couple of German-language articles. This one in Der Tagesspiegel is another introductory article, quite positive. And this in Die Zeit is mostly about Linus and free software. For non German-capable readeers who are willing to brave the Babelfish translation: Der Tagesspiegel and Die Zeit. (Click on "translate" when you get there).

"Linux is ready for the enterprise" according to this news.com article. It's mostly a summarization of recent events: Oracle, Dell, COMDEX, ...

Here's a column in Mac Opinion about the U.S. military, Windows NT, and what Apple has to do to be positioned to compete when NT fails. "The second lesson for Apple is that, whether they know it or not, they are in a Tech War with Solaris, Linux and perhaps HP-UX for a future, superior Unix product. When the U.S. military gets tired of failing with NT, someone needs to be there to pick up the pieces. Apple can't just throw MacOS X out there as a 'better client OS'. They have to think about the strategic implications of how their Unix OS will compete against Linux and Solaris if NT 5 stumbles."

Microsoft has dropped a couple of hints recently that they may open up parts of the source for NT. But this article in TechWeb makes what they have in mind a bit clearer. "Although some source code will be released, 'We are not going to be letting people make modifications to Windows NT at this point,' said Tanya van Dam, group product manager for NT Server at Microsoft." Look but don't touch...

There is a brief, introductory mention in the "Star-Telegram." "The good news is that Linux is far more stable than Windows and can be run even on older PCs." Just don't follow their strange download link...it does not lead to any place which actually has Linux.

Dave Whitinger's Linux news mailing lists received a very favorable review in TechSightings.


September 17, 1998

 

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