It's time for Linux to grow up

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Mr. Fink's observation that "'The world is about Linux' is not the real world," has some truth, but not quite all. Over the past several months I have been involved in discussions and planning sessions for regarding very large enterprises, and a number of the participants are current or recent CIOs of Fortune 500 companies. What I observe is that Linux seems to be the lingua franca of big enterprise IT (maybe as accounting is the language of business), rather than the only accepted solution. That is, we speak notionally of a large data center or of a satellite center as collections of various Linux boxes of varying sizes, because all parties and all vendors can relate to it. But then when we get down to particulars, there will be variants bowing to the realities of today's market or other factors (as I recall SAP back end won't run on Linux). So Linux is the model, but the implementation is more multicultural - more a blend of Linux and Unix.

The subject of indemnification just plain doesn't come up. I can't say why, it just doesn't. But I'll suggest an open offer to Mr. McBride, as follows.

To convince the world that you genuinely believe you have a case, send a bill to the U.S. Courts (yes, the same place where your case will be tried). Throw in the National Labs, like Livermore, Sandia and Oak Ridge, and maybe NASA as well. In this way you can demonstrate the courage of your conviction, because, as you know, you will be running the risk of criminal prosecution for false billing to the government. Mind you, you don't have to win the case against IBM to avoid prosecution, merely show that your evidence convinced you that you had a case. Do that, Mr. McBride, and you'll go a long way toward convincing the world that you are attempting something other than securities fraud. And your personal fortune will soar!

Finally a note about Linux desktop. Yes, for most of us it remains a tantalizing fantasy. What I heard in an IBM brief last week is that the company is selecting (or maybe they're volunteers)a set of subjects for a six month trial. The idea is to determine first-hand the learning curve and degree of maturity in the business environment (I throw in my usual caveat - Don't try this at home). This will be interesting to watch.

Posted by: IT_User   Posted on: 12/04/03 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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