[Am-info] Is AOL buying Red Hat like Sony buying into Hollywood?

[Geoffrey]

Hans Reiser wrote:

> Mike Stephen wrote:
> 
>>
>> I agree that this makes no sense for AOL.  If they actually want an 
>> operating system that will compete with Windows, and they are thinking 
>> that if they spend a whack of dollars on a redhat company, they would 
>> be much better off with FreeBSD as a starting point due to the less 
>> restrictive license arrangements.
> 
> 
> This is an incredibly marketing insensitve remark.  Linux has brand name 
> value.  It is the only brand that can compete with MS.  FreeBSD is just 
> hanging in there, and OS/2 is dead dead dead as a brand.


OS/2 may be dead in many peoples' eyes, but I think it's a better 
technical approach to competing with Windows on the desktop.  An as 
you've noted it's all in the branding.  So, OS/2 dead?  What about this 
new variation that has the new name, ?????station, sorry I've forgotten, 
you OS/2 guys help me out here.

So a company like IBM start's pushing this 'new' OS that is to compete 
with windows and it'll run windows apps.  What do we think?


> 
> 
>> The GPL basically makes putting big bucks into a GPL based OS senseless. 
> 
> Namesys is making money using the GPL.  Nonetheless, it is often harder 
> to make money using the GPL, though it all depends on your situation.
> 
> 
> I think that Hollywood is worried about free software being pirate 
> friendly, and I wonder what will happen once a content provider owns 
> RedHat.
> 
> I predict the AOL and RedHat cultures won't mesh any better than the 
> Netscape/AOL cultures did.  I hope it ends up being good for SuSE.


I'll agree with you on the fact they won't mesh, although I don't want 
to 'help' one distribution at the loss of another.


> 
> Hans
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Until later: Geoffrey		esoteric@3times25.net

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