RE: [OT] Linux, was: Re: HP on fast track to finding a CEO

From: Main, Kerry (kerry.main_at_hp.com)
Date: 03/14/05 

Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 14:42:01 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Simon Clubley
> [mailto:clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP]
> Sent: March 14, 2005 1:36 PM
> To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com
> Subject: [OT] Linux, was: Re: HP on fast track to finding a CEO
>
> In article <42354e3d$0$78284$157c6196@dreader1.cybercity.dk>,
> Karsten Nyblad <nospam@nospam.nospam> writes:
> >
> > There are distributions out there, which differ from RedHat
> only in the
> > logos.
>
> The main one been Fedora, which is currently at version Fedora Core 3.
> This is RedHat minus the logos, is distributed by RedHat, and RedHat
> engineers participate in the RedHat run support forums (which
> I discovered
> while having a problem installing it.)
>
> I'm disappointed by Kerry's somewhat flippant arguments. For example,
> people are unlikely to suddenly start doing inhouse kernel
> modifications
> on Linux unless they did the same thing on VMS, and if they
> do, then the
> support position would be the same as it would be on VMS.
>

Simon,

They were not flippant remarks.

Previous replies stated things that stated one of the advantages of Open
Source was that you could do kernel / driver/ priv'ed level changes and
not wait on the vendor to make them. Certainly, there are advantages of
this capability, but I simply pointed out that there are issues with
this that need to be considered in terms of the level of risk the
company is willing to take on.

As I have been careful to say, there are advantages and disadvantages to
both approaches (open vs so called "closed") and one needs to consider
these when deciding which is best for your own environment.

Note - why is when anyone points out a disadvantage of open source, that
almost immediately all of the open source promoters come rushing in and
defending Open Source as if that one specific criticism was somehow an
attack on Open Source overall?

Regards

Kerry Main
Senior Consultant
HP Services Canada
Voice: 613-592-4660
Fax: 613-591-4477
kerryDOTmainAThpDOTcom
(remove the DOT's and AT)

"OpenVMS has always had integrity ..
Now, Integrity has OpenVMS .."

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