Re: Petreley on commercial support for non-MS OSes

["Eric M. Bennett" <ericb@pobox.com>]

Brett Glass wrote:

>Unfortunately, while Petreley suggests below that support of Linux
>MAY indicate long-term thinking, in fact I would contend that just
>the opposite is true. The GPL movement has the potential to be as
>threatening and all-absorbing as Microsoft, and in fact was intended
>to be that way by its originator.

Even assuming that you are right about the GPL's problems, it would be a
much different type of threatening and all-absorbing movement.  With the
GPL, it's people trying to write commercial OSes who are screwed.  Writing
commercial apps for Linux is generally not a problem.  With Microsoft, it's
people trying to write applications who are screwed.  Most ISVs would
naturally prefer the first situation to the second.  With the GPL, nobody
can play hide the ball with APIs or secretly change them, and since there
is no coherent "ownership" of Linux, nobody is going to force a PC maker
that preloads Linux to preload a particular office suite as well.

Note that although some vendors are embracing Linux by developing for it,
they are not using the GPL for their own products.  I think the vendors
realize the advantages of developing for a GPLed OS, and I also think they
see the disadvantages of using the GPL for their own products.



--
Eric Bennett (http://www.pobox.com/~ericb/)
Cornell University, Field of Biochemistry, 377 Olin Chemistry Lab

Piano, n.  A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor.  It is
operated by depressing the keys of the machine and the spirits of the
audience.
-Ambrose Bierce