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Linux in the news


Lead Stories:

Bob Metcalfe tries yet again to anger the free software community with this InfoWorld column. "OK, sorry, I should more carefully distinguish the freeloaders at FSF from the free marketers at OSI. Trouble is, I'm not alone."

The Boston Globe looks at the term "hacker", with a lot of emphasis on Stallman and Torvalds. "And the point? Simply that the neatly barbered and quietly circumspect Torvalds is every bit as much a hacker as Stallman - a fact the flamboyant Stallman readily concedes." (Found in Slashdot).

IBM:

Here's an Information Week story about IBM's support announcement. "IBM on Tuesday announced worldwide support for enterprise customers running Linux, including free support during a 90-day start-up period for Red Hat Software and Caldera Systems Linux running on IBM Netfinity servers."

Inter@ctive Week has an article about IBM's Linux training offerings. "IBM and Caldera Systems, distributor of OpenLinux, will collaborate to offer Caldera's Linux Administration for Networking Professionals course as part of IBM's curriculum. The course is aimed at training networking professionals in Linux system administration."

This Inter@ctive Week article from July 26 speculates on IBM's moves. "Tomorrow, July 27, IBM is expected to announce it will support Linux on its Intel-based Netfinity line of servers, offering certification to distributors that Red Hat, Caldera, SuSE and TurboLinux run on its servers. In addition it will offer 90 days of free service and support for customers installing Linux on Netfinity hardware through its Personal Systems Group."

Sun is trying to get IBM to sell Intel-based servers with Solaris installed, according to this ZDNet story. "Linux is creating lots of havoc in the operating-system world. So much so, in fact, that Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy has asked IBM to preload the 'Solaris on Intel kernel' on every IBM NetFinity server the company ships..." (Thanks to John Langley).

Software and Hardware Products:

TechWeb has an article about GigaNet's new 30-port switch. "The cLAN interconnect for Linux is designed to let users build farms of Intel-based servers for Web hosting, scientific, and technical applications. It's designed for use with Beowulf clustering software for Linux."

Network Computing reviews the new Wyse Winterm 5355SE, which runs Linux. "Linux provides tremendous application flexibility, but it also introduces much more complexity than you would see in mainstream Windows terminals. Wyse has worked hard to hide this complexity, but it has more to do before these devices can move from pilot test to production."

Computer Currents ran this article on how Loki Entertainment Software will be porting the game "Myth II: Soulblighter" to Linux. "As Loki's president Scott Draeker points out, 'Linux is not just for servers any more! Many of the ten-million-plus Linux users would like to play games on their operating system of choice.'"

AsiaBizTech has a brief note reporting that Hitachi will be offering a Linux-based web server system in September. "The product will be a packaged solution for configuring Internet servers and will consist of Hitachi's PC server with Linux OS and Apache. The product will also include one-year maintenance service and inquiry service."

InfoWorld ran a brief article about Red Hat's new E-Commerce server product. "The company will primarily target the new applications server at Internet service providers and other smaller businesses that feel they don't have the staff or the time to devote to technology issues and who want to spend more time focusing on their businesses."

Network World Fusion chimes in on Red Hat's E-Commerce server. "As Linux emerges from the depths of technogeekdom into the mainstream, users are beginning to realize that its ability to support symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) means that Linux may be a viable, scaleable package for Web commerce." (NW Fusion is a registration-required site).

Here's a PC World article about the extra-cheap computers currently being offered by Buypogo.com. "One reason BuyPogo.Com can offer these PCs at such as price is because they run RedHat Linux, rather than Windows."

Network Computing has run an article about how router manufacturers should open up their internal processors for add-on products. "If routers don't open up, the more realistic option is a pure play for Linux in the WAN. A Linux-based PC can host a wide variety of applications, routing included, at a lower cost than going proprietary--and it's not as risky as you might think." (Thanks to Lon Jones).

Sm@rt Reseller reports on the new version of Netscape's application server. "Netscape executives have publicly stated since July of last year that open-source Linux would be a critical platform for its server products going forward. But, now, several months after America Online Inc. purchased Netscape and dealt its server software to Sun Microsystems, the Linux app server port has been put on the back burner."

Other Business News:

Forbes has an article about Transmeta and the Amiga. The article is a fun read, but they don't really know any more than anybody else. "The Amiga has been something of a technological Hope diamond, an exquisite object that has brought bad luck to each of its corporate owners." (Thanks to Marty Leisner, who says there is a nice picture of Linus in the print version).

The Triangle Business Journal looks at Red Hat's customer list in anticipation of the IPO. "In a July 16 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company provided an impressive list of some two dozen customers. But has Linux become the key computing tool running 'mission critical' operations? TBJ tried to contact half of the institutions listed to gauge their use of Linux. Six responded, revealing mixed results..."

Here's a News.com article about TurboLinux's "most popular in Japan" press release. "TurboLinux, Asia's largest Linux seller, said its version of the operating system outsold Windows 98 and MacOS in Japan during its first week of sales in July. But there are some caveats that indicate the dominance isn't quite as strong as TurboLinux announced."

Here is a lengthy CNN article about TurboLinux and the fact that they outsold Windows - briefly - in Japan. "Microsoft refused to comment in detail, saying Windows 98 was designed and marketed for home users, whereas Linux was designed for and marketed to business users."

News.com looks at SGI's future plans. "'We think Linux is important,' [SGI CEO] Belluzzo said. 'We think it's the operating system of the Internet. The opportunity is to make Linux more powerful, which we intend to do.' However, SGI's Linux plans took a hit recently, with TurboLinux hiring away Dave McAllister, an eight-year SGI employee who helped chart SGI's Linux plans."

Here's a Computer Reseller News article about Computer Associates' recent Linux moves. "Computer Associates International Inc. is making an aggressive play for the Linux market with a move expected to save customers thousands of dollars."

News.com reports on the new support offerings from VA Linux Systems. "VA announced today that people can buy round-the-clock support for the first year for an extra $3,595. Support for another three incidents after the first year of coverage can cost $995. 'Commercial support' costs a lot more, with prices beginning at $21,995."

EE Times looks at how open source can help in real-time situations. "...we estimate that the development resources concentrated on Linux are an order of magnitude greater than those for the entire RTOS industry's own development efforts."

This article (in Italian) on J-Web cites an IDC report claiming that Linux will make it big in Europe only if Microsoft ports its office suite. "By 2003, estimates IDC, only 40 thousand users in Europe will have installed Linux on their desktop if Microsoft fails to port its applications. Conversely, the estimate is more than 4 million users on the Old Continent if Microsoft is successful in porting to Linux." (Editor's translation). The adventurous can try translating with Babelfish, but, as of this writing, it yields only error messages.

Here's a mostly introductory article in the Detroit Free Press. "There's a clash of technology cultures brewing as big business ponders ways of making money out of Linux, a free computer operating system that's taking a run at the all encompassing Windows program by Microsoft Corp."

Here's a TechWeb story about Microsoft's latest "analyst meeting." Quoting president Steve Ballmer: "There's finally a Unix that's popular on our platform. Linux is a serious -- albeit crazy -- competitive operating system on our platform,"

Finally:

Time for a batch of OSOpinion editorials: Justin Seiferth on why Linux developers should not concentrate on desktop applications, Scott Billings is hurting from flames he got from a previous article, and Kevin Lyda on the reaction to Red Hat's community stock offering.

The Chicago Tribune has run a pair of articles. Linux emerges from hiding is an introductory piece about Linux in business. "Often keeping the fact secret from the top brass, technology-savvy systems administrators have begun using Linux because they find it reliable, cheap and easily customized. Now Linux is coming out of the closet."

They also ran this article about home users. "Linux rarely crashes, will make even an old Pentium processor seem peppy, requires little disk space, and can be downloaded from the Internet for free. So why aren't we all using it? Because Linux is based on Unix, an operating system notorious for arcane commands and difficult installation."

Here's a Computing (UK) article which mentions briefly the IDC report on Linux utilization in Europe. "Analyst IDC predicted a bleak future for Linux. Unless Microsoft ports its ever-popular applications to the open-source operating system, Linux will have 40,000 users in Western Europe in 2003, instead of more than four million..."

Also in Computing is this article on delays in getting Linux support services up in Europe. "IBM and Compaq both admitted last week that support initiatives, originally intended to begin in June, have been delayed until September at the earliest." (Thanks to David Killick).

AsiaBizTech has a brief article about Linux Exhibition '99, currently running in Japan. For whatever reason, they had a speech from a U.S. Embassy official: "I am truly happy that an exhibition focusing on Linux, which developed further in the United States, is being held for the first time in Japan."

C't magazine reviews VMWare 1.0. "The usual Windows annoyances don't impress VMware much. For example, it simply displays the NT Bluescreen without interfering with the host system."

Also in C't: a list (in German) of interesting Linux web sites. Babelfish doesn't want to cope with this one, but the list comes through in any language... (Thanks to Fred Mobach).

The Akron Beacon Journal attends a LUG meeting. "It doesn't take a lot of expertise for some Akron technology fans to set up a network. All they need is a big restaurant table and plenty of spaghetti."

Is Linux ready for the big time? asks TechWeek. "Not quite. Despite the growing cadre of Linux enthusiasts in corporations, the maverick operating system still encounters resistance because of its unfriendly user interface and lack of business applications. That should change in the next few years..."

For a laugh, check out The Anti-Linux-IPO Howto over on LinuxToday.

Here is a flaming, anti-Linux editorial put up on osOpinion. "Now there are dozens of articles in every media publication extolling the virtues of the OS, the development model, and the free software movement. Well not to sound like a Microsoft troll, but frankly I'm unimpressed." (Please, if you respond to this or any other critical article, do so in a polite and professional manner. Flaming does not help Linux in any way).

This Industry Standard article is about AOL, but the author couldn't resist starting with a swipe against Linux. "Linux is a lovely hack, but there's no way mainstream computer users will tolerate an operating system that can be maintained only by regular Slashdot posters. The KDE and Gnome folks, however clever and well-intentioned, have created graphical user interfaces atop Linux that are even more confusing than Windows, which, come to think of it, is no small achievement."

Section Editor: Rebecca Sobol


July 29, 1999

 

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