News Rise of Linux totally unstoppable, IBM says

From the Inquirer:

AN IBM EXECUTIVE here in Berlin said in a roundtable about Linux and the challenges it faces that the rise of Open Source and Linux is unstoppable.

Deborah Magid, who works in the software division of IBM and liases with venture capitalists, said: "I’ve watched our use of open source grow and I agree it’s totally unstoppable. A lot of people wonder why we feel that way about open source, but in 1995 we shed our proprietary mindset. We supported Java because it was a portable platform, and Linux was attractive to us for the same reason". And, she said, the use of Linux is growing.

The move in industry and governments is enormous, with China, with Russia, with the UK government, with companies like Morgan Stanley. About a dozen countries are now looking at Linux on the desktop, she said.

Full story here

 

From this reply i would say she contradicts herself.

Linux philosophy is not a winner one imo: too many developers, too many ideas.

Open source is the negation of trading and earning money from things someone produce.
Open source can exist because of the same developers who works on Linux, make money from jobs they have in others software companies.

If open source wins then it destroys itself.

 

But with more developers and more ideas, all working with similar coding strategies, you can create a much faster-adapting OS. And because there are so many developers, they can specialize, and with specialization comes perfections. "Do one thing, do it well."

Not all of the developers of linux work for software companies you know. And even if linux becomes the #1 operating system, even if the OS remains free, the applications don't have to be free. Manufacturers sell linux versions of games, and guess what, they're pretty much the same price as the windows version... If this trend follows, the developers that do need to work for software companies, can simply work on application development (which I'd bet most do right now anyway, I can't really see a Microsoft coder working on Linux...)

If open source gains EVERYTHING, then we all have to become expert coders real quick

 

One thing most prople ignore about open source is the fact that many of the poeple program for it because they enjoy it. Linux is based off of a worldwide community where people can improve what they have, and help other people. Sometimes that satisfaction is worth more than money. Not to mention the fact that its all free, and if you have enough knowledge, you can make anything for it. Its got more potential than windows imho.
Plus linux is still a command line interface (with a GUI slapped on) so you have to try hard to crash it!

 

all your operating system are belong to us, SCO says

 

someone set up us the microsoft

 

I couldn't see Microsoft working on the mac either - but it happened!

Microsoft are driven by money. If Linux becomes big (much bigger than what it is presently), they'll produce for it cause it's a place they can seek revenue...

As for linux - its all good in theory - but I find the system rather limiting - full of useless features aimed at the person who has too much free time on their hands...


--FearsomeMouse