This article makes a good point that Linux is raw construction material and not a direct competitor to Microsoft. RedHat maybe, but not Linux.
John Hebert --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > RUSSELL PAVLICEK: "The Open Source" > InfoWorld.com ======================================================= > Wednesday, October 24, 2001 > > VIVA LINUX IN LAS VEGAS > > Posted October 19, 2001 01:01 PM Pacific Time > > > LAS VEGAS IS a strange town where dead entertainers > perform regularly. The Rat Pack has its nightly > show. > Liberace, apparently no worse for the wear, still > entertains. > > And then there is Elvis. Elvis is everywhere. One > show > even features multiple Elvises (or is that Elvii?). > > Now we all know that these are merely imitators of > dead > performers, but it seems fitting that in a city > where > yesterday's stars make headlines, the living would > go > unseen. Such was the case on the show floor at the > recent ISPCON held in Las Vegas. > > As I wandered down aisle after aisle of corporations > selling their wares to ISPs and ASPs, I saw no > obvious > sign of Linux or other open-source solutions. Yet, > as > is everything else in Las Vegas, nothing is ever as > it > appears. > > Take for example CommNav. A partner of Sun > Microsystems, its Smart Business Hub gives a > Web-based > solution to the problem of office information flow. > It > includes critical business functions such as shared > calendars, task lists, time reporting, e-mail, and > document management. And by the way, it runs under > Linux as well as other Unix platforms. > > Speaking of Sun, the company had extensive demos of > its > Linux-based Cobalt server appliances. These > marvelous > little plug-in-and-go appliances provide Web > functionality in minutes with a very simple > management > interface. Yet even folks familiar with the Cobalt > Qube and the Cobalt Raq might be surprised to find > that the family has grown to include CacheRaQ, an > inexpensive device that provides scalable > Web-caching, > and the Cobalt Control Station, which deploys > services > and manages large volumes of Cobalt servers. And, by > the way, they all run Linux. > > Then there is Promicro Systems, which sells > high-performance compute clusters as well as servers > that feature two independent servers in a 1U form > factor. Even without a Penguin sticker on the > outside > of the box, you can get it with Linux inside. > > Another young company, Egenera, has been focusing on > large systems in the financial arena. Through its > remarkable development of server blades, Egenera can > add additional processing power to a company's > server > farm quickly and painlessly. These servers eliminate > the hassle normally involved with increasing compute > power to meet demand. And, oh yes, they run Linux, > too. > > The list goes on and on. I couldn't see Linux > banners > anywhere, but the list of Linux-based solutions kept > growing as I kept talking with vendors. > > I think Dave McAllister, director of strategic > technology at Egenera, said it best: "Linux will > never > become important until no one cares." His reasoning > is > that when businesses buy a Linux-based solution not > because of the platform but because of the quality > of > the total solution, Linux will truly be a success in > business. If that is the criteria, then Linux is > clearly coming of age. > > So when you hear some vendor cry, "Linux will never > succeed in business," look closely. He may just be > another Elvis impersonator trying to convince you > that > his dead piece of technology is still alive and > kicking. > > Russell Pavlicek is an independent open-source > consultant. Contact him at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > SUBSCRIBE > To subscribe to any of InfoWorld's e-mail > newsletters, > tell your friends and colleagues to go to: > http://www.iwsubscribe.com/newsletters/ > > To subscribe to InfoWorld.com, or InfoWorld Print, > or both, go to http://www.iwsubscribe.com > > Copyright 2001 InfoWorld Media Group Inc. > This message was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com ================================================ BRLUG - The Baton Rouge Linux User Group Visit http://www.brlug.net for more information. Send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] to change your subscription information. ================================================
