Thomas: Interesting Linux article in the Investors Business Daily today. Corel's Derek Belair is quoted. Overall, the article addresses some the issues pertaining to the problems associated with various versions of Linux. Redhat is compared to monopolistic practices of guess who?
investors.com
Click on the article: Linux Window May Close . . . .
Linux Window May Close If Many Versions Emerge
Date: 6/10/99
Author: Michael Tarsala and Nick Turner
Alack of cooperation could squelch the fledgling Linux movement before it makes much noise in the consumer market.
Industry observers tout Linux as the most viable alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system. One reason for its heady potential is that the guts of Linux are available for free to anyone.
But various companies are selling their own versions of the operating software, with their own tweaks and servicing packages.
As a result, some programs written for one version of Linux don't work well with other versions of Linux. The software is unlikely to entice more consumers unless it's available in a single standard that can handle all programs written for any Linux version.
''Fragmentation is one of the big question marks right now,'' said Derik Belair, product manger for Linux at software maker Corel Corp. The Microsoft rival is preparing to sell its own version of Linux and is developing programs that run on Linux.
The dominance of Windows and a desire for an alternative have given Linux a buzz in the industry. The software has begun to make a dent in the corporate world. It's increasingly being used to run large server computers that dish out data, partly because it's cheap.
''It's not a question of whether Linux is going to succeed. It's a question of how big Linux is going to be,'' said Joel Berman, who as Linux evangelist for Compaq Computer Corp. is charged with spreading the word about Linux's possibilities to software developers and users.
Still, some people in the industry fear that Linux will go the way of its older cousin, Unix. That operating system split into several different versions. Sun Microsystems Inc., IBM Corp. and perhaps a dozen other companies offer their own versions of Unix, an operating system for servers, workstations and other higher-end machines.
In the Unix world, companies must develop different programs to work on the different versions. That makes it costlier for programmers to develop and distribute their software.
Linux was meant to be different from Unix, as well as Windows, which about nine in 10 desktop PCs use today. Linux is based on a philosophy called ''open source.'' Linux developers agree to publish for everyone all changes and additions they make to the operating system.
The result is software that's constantly being improved, leveraging the brain power of countless people and companies.
Every maker of Linux operating systems must agree to work within the open-source rules. But it's that level of cooperation that's being questioned as Linux vies to become a force.
The several companies that sell their own versions of Linux make a little money on the software, but they get most of their revenue from servicing their operating systems.
The largest seller of Linux is Research Triangle, N.C.-based Red Hat Software Inc. , which this week filed for an initial public stock offering. It has more than half the market. IBM, Compaq, Dell Computer Corp. and others offer Red Hat Linux on some machines. Dell is alone in offering it on PCs, however.
Rivals claim Red Hat doesn't work well with other Linux makers. Some call Red Hat the ''Microsoft of Linux,'' a reference to Microsoft's alleged monopolistic practices.
It's a valid point, says Lonn Johnson, vice president, North America, for Linux distributor Pacific HiTech Inc. in San Francisco. He says people seeking to develop programs for any Linux version must understand some other elements that went into the product - what he calls the ''thinking behind the code.'' And that, Johnson says, Red Hat doesn't easily divulge.
''If the thought (behind the code) is in-house knowledge, that poses a challenge to the open nature of Linux,'' Johnson said.
Industry group Linux Standards Base accuses Red Hat of giving it short shrift. LSB is trying to make sure all Linux programs run on all Linux versions.
''Red Hat is not LSB compliant - most other distributors are,'' said Art Tyde, co-founder of Linuxcare Inc. , a service company in San Francisco.
The company has sent mixed signals in the past about its loyalty to the group, agrees LSB Chairman Dan Quinlan.
Red Hat officials deny they're splintering Linux.
''Some of our competitors are saying Red Hat doesn't support standards because it suits their purposes,'' said Bob Young, Red Hat's chief executive. ''But the facts don't support this in any way.''
Young says his company has been more diligent than others in quickly publishing updates.
Ironing out these differences could be key to Linux. There are few software programs for Linux as developers await a larger market. Corel is selling one of them, a version of its WordPerfect word processing program. In November, it plans to release a Linux version of its office suite of programs, which includes spreadsheet and presentation software as well as word processing.
Corel's Linux will, of course, be able to run Corel's programs. How easily Corel's software will work with other types of Linux is a question.
''There's no guarantee any application you buy off the shelf is going to run on your (Linux-powered) machine,'' Linuxcare's Tyde said.
Corel officials concede that their software is easier to install on some versions of Linux than on other versions, but they don't see that as a problem.
Software programs that don't embrace open source will run into trouble, says Corel's Belair. Its Linux is strictly open source, he says.
''Operating systems that try - and 'try' is the key word - to make it harder for people to look at the source code aren't going to fare as well,'' Belair said.
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