FreeOS Opinions

Linux : Opinions : The appeals court ruling: What's in it for Linux?
Posted: ( Wed 4th Jul 2001 09:55:22[PM] UTC )
"Already, leading legal scholars, including Stanford University's Lawrence Lessig, are praising the decision for offering (as Lessig put it) "smart and innovative" rules concerning antitrust regulation in the digital era. The big question is this: Will the decision change Microsoft's behavior?"

FreeOS : Opinions : How the tech-poor can still be software-rich
Posted: ( Wed 4th Jul 2001 09:52:54[PM] UTC )
"Open-source software has been called many things: a movement, a fad, a virus, a Communist conspiracy, even the heart and soul of the Internet. But one point is often overlooked: Open-source software is also a highly effective vehicle for the transfer of wealth from the industrialized world to developing countries."

Linux : Opinions : Red Hat's database could be key to Linux success
Posted: ( Wed 4th Jul 2001 09:47:01[PM] UTC )
"A well-marketed Open Source database (like the one Red Hat proposes) could potentially do more to cement the hold of Open Source software in the enterprise than the Linux OS itself. In effect, it would transform Linux into a complete Open Source Web applications platform, to compete with commercial offerings from the likes of Sun, Oracle or Microsoft."

FreeOS : Opinions : When non-free is "free enough"
Posted: ( Mon 2nd Jul 2001 07:40:50[PM] UTC )
The Pine license is not a Free Software license, nor does it meet the Open Source Definition. Why is it included in the distribution, then? Well, because it's "free enough."

FreeOS : Opinions : Open Source: Perfect for the commercial world
Posted: ( Mon 2nd Jul 2001 07:35:32[PM] UTC )
"The Open Source model will be freely accepted commercially and one day there will be no preferred alternative, the time line for globalized acceptance of such methods is certainly within the next five years, so hold on to your hats and do not get left behind. It is your choice and a free one."

FreeOS : Opinions : Why Microsoft fears Open Source
Posted: ( Sun 1st Jul 2001 07:14:55[PM] UTC )
"Numerous reasons have been offered as to why Microsoft has become fearful of open-source software. The real reason is more basic. It's simple economics. with OSS competition, Microsoft has to deal with a product that it can never undercut on price and can never block from distribution because OSS products are not competing for the preload channel."

BSD : Opinions : Is BSD the tortoise?
Posted: ( Sun 1st Jul 2001 06:49:23[PM] UTC )
"I have to wonder whether all the leaps that Linux has made in recent history will wind up being compared against the slow, steady progress of the BSDs. The BSD-based OSes all look to be doing better and better at the moment, even without Linux's marketing fury behind them."

Linux : Opinions : Separated by a common operating system
Posted: ( Wed 27th Jun 2001 09:57:17[PM] UTC )
"Now incompatibilities are being introduced hand over fist, as distributions fight for a bigger and bigger piece of a diminishing pie, until oneday one will own all of nothing. Does this do anything useful for the distributions, users, Linux, anybody? Well, no. If Microsoft were to cook up a plan to cause Linux to disappear in a virtual Tower of Babel it could scarcely be more effective than that which has been adopted by distributions on their own, voluntarily," writes Dennis Powell

Linux : Opinions : A very apt app
Posted: ( Wed 27th Jun 2001 07:48:11[PM] UTC )
It's time to unearth another Linux hidden gem, overlooked open-source application that can help make Linux more useful once you get to know it. Simply called apt-get, this tool was developed to handle installations of the Debian Linux distribution. But, apt-get's capabilities go far beyond simplifying installation. Most notable is an option that updates your system by comparing the release levels of the software on your system to those of a remote benchmark site. This process can be automated as much or as little as you like.

Linux : Opinions : Who's afraid of Linux? - Part 1
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 09:22:13[PM] UTC )
As Linux matures, it's likely that more companies will consider it for business-wide applications. Linux has always been a highly reliable operating system -- an important attribute for enterprise-class applications -- but until recently, it has lacked key features for enterprise computing.

Linux : Opinions : Open source leaders duke it out
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 08:21:00[PM] UTC )
Caldera's Ransom Love defends himself against charges by free software advocate Richard Stallman. The truth is, he says, nothing is for free. "Someone must pay for it. All these small modifications in the code... all this does cost money. The only way to make Linux a successful business is to cash in. This is the other side of the medal. In the future, all Linux applications will have a price tag. That's the job of the movement's marketing department. You will have to pay for it, but of course less than you would pay for NT products..."

Linux : Opinions : A little housekeeping
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 07:53:32[PM] UTC )
"My theory for this short release cycle is that SuSE was trying to sync its release versions with the new Itanium flavor that was scheduled to be released last week. In other words, they opted to use the SuSE Linux 7.2 number for the Itanium release, and wanted to avoid confusion with the Intel version numbers. If this is the case, then this makes more sense. But if we see SuSE 7.3 in a September/October timeframe, then we'll know its something else," writes Brian Proffitt as he takes a quick look at SuSE 7.2 and questions if its purchase is necessary for SuSE veterans.

Linux : Opinions : SuSE Linux 7.2 - Linux for the desktop?
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 07:13:18[PM] UTC )
The author talks of how Linux can succeed on the desktop. According to him Linux will not succeed on its own merits and that its only shot is attracting disaffected Windows users. "Is it ready for the consumer desktop? Well, unfortunately it's difficult to see where the demand would come from. Its geeky image will still be off-putting for consumers, despite the price advantage, and vendors will probably prefer the markup they get from bundling Windows with their systems, rather than Linux."

Linux : Opinions : Linux: the other OS for your laptop
Posted: ( Sun 24th Jun 2001 11:26:01[PM] UTC )
"Linux is more stable, about as fast, every bit as pretty, and almost as easy to install as anything Microsoft has produced. However, far fewer office productivity applications are written for Linux, and peripheral support is still furlongs behind that of Windows. And to be honest, Linux isn't quite as easy to use. But there's light at the end of the open-source tunnel. I give Linux a year or so before it closes the usability gap. Linux is definetly here to stay. If Linux makes the kind of progress it has in the network operating-system realm, it could be a viable alternative for laptop users," writes Jon L. Jacobi.

Linux : Opinions : Revolution and evolution in the PC industry
Posted: ( Fri 22nd Jun 2001 01:44:52[AM] UTC )
If you spend enough time in and around the personal computer industry, you will invariably get so jaded that very few things can evoke interest, enthusiasm, or even excitement. But it's worth crawling out of this trap of cynicism, since there are still plenty of smart people designing and creating cool stuff. Some of this neat stuff is evolutionary, some of it occasionally borders on, or even is, revolutionary. This column is about one of each