To All: Here is something from Tech Web News that puts Linux as a threat to W2K in a fair perspective:
There's something very disconcerting about what developers and larger companies are saying about Linux. Most of these reports start with a general enthusiasm for the operating system, but they all point to scalability issues and the increasingly fractured Linux landscape as hindrances to large-scale deployment. The scalability issues are manifest. Most developers of enterprise products who are exploring Linux ports complain about process and thread limitations, file descriptor limitations, the lack of large file support, and the scalability of the shared-memory architecture. That deficiencies exist in some critical aspects of Linux isn't necessarily indicative of anything other than an operating system in its adolescence. With care and feeding, this teen-ager could grow into a very reliable adult.
What concerns me is who's going to nurture this thing. Certainly, the community development efforts that have brought Linux to the forefront have done an admirable job, and given the status quo, I'd expect Linux to continue down this promising path. But as more developers look to Linux as a host for their enterprise applications, more pressure will be brought to bear on these problems. That may be a good thing, but the corporatization of Linux might well be its undoing. Linux's core strengths flow largely from the interest of far-flung programmers. As heavyweight developers begin to steer development of Linux to address their business needs, I fear they will alienate too many of the contributors to Linux that made it so successful. Should that happen, Linux may be lost to the misfortunes of OS/2 or an even more fractured code base than Unix spawned during the 1990s.
None of this naysaying is a fait accompli. But looking at the near-term benefits of deploying Linux as a strategic initiative as opposed to the relative dearth of important management applications and the potential for a stunting of Linux's growth, I wouldn't bet the farm on Linux quite yet. Of course, if I'm wrong, then Linux will soon coalesce as a mature platform for big companies--and I'd love to start 2001 by eating these very words.
To prove that the fellow writing this thing is not a Softee note the last sentence. JFD |
