On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 1:51 PM, Octave Orgeron <[email protected]> wrote: > One of the things that does kinda concern me here is that by just jumping on > the GNU bandwagon and hoping for a smooth ride is a bit backward. I think > most people who have worked on multiple OS's know that the GNU tools do have > their issues and conflicts. Ultimately, if Sun wants to improve those tools, > then great. However, if the hope is that the GNU toolset will attract users > and developers.. I think that idea maybe a little flawed. If the idea is to > be on par with Linux and hope that people will switch because of all the > GNUness and Solaris specific features.. I'm not sure that's the best path. > Definitely it helps.. but I don't think it'll magically cause a mass > migration. What would be nice is some leadership in standards that bridges > the gaps and makes Solaris the *best* platform for enterprises and for > professional desktop/workstation users. If the idea is to go after the real > desktop users across the globe.. then Sun should merge with Apple and > learn what everyday people really need and expect. > > As things stand, continuing to go after the Linux user base is like trying to > convert the religion of people.. pointless and a waste of effort. Apple > understands that the real attraction for everyday users is differentiation > and quality. OpenSolaris has come a long way and it's good that we are trying > to accomodate user expectations. However, to fall into the trap of "we have > to be like Linux to survive" is a dangerous and almost "end game" way of > looking at the future. Where is the leadership? I think we all want the best > platform to be OpenSolaris. > > Would it not make more sense to work with the different organizations and > development teams to build a unified cross-platform toolset? I think enough > consolidation has happened in the UNIX and UNIX-like market for people to > come together and build something we can all be happy with. Let people choose > their kernel and native toolset.. but atleast have a common toolset across > all the platforms for the basics:) It's happening in other areas, such as > Xorg.. minus the fact that MacOSX has a better GUI and doesn't need X11.
Hear hear! This "we must have an answer to Linux" mindset is what nearly caused Solaris x86 to die on the vine at least a half dozen times over the last decade. Ignore the fanboys and idiots on "the street", talk to your customers and see what they want (hint: stable, secure, powerful and easy to use hardware, software and operating systems with phenomenal support that can run circles around the competitors at a fraction of the cost). Let me put it bluntly: I have been supporting Unix like operating systems for nearly 20 years. Solaris (on Sparc) is my hands-down preferred platform because of the things that make it Solaris. I do not want a more "Linux like" Solaris. I am not interested in "Linux compatibility". I want Sun and the Solaris and OpenSolaris communities to realize that they have, bar none, the best OS on the planet and to start doing the work that needs to be done to bring others to that realization instead of chasing after the glory of some other OS that is not in the same league as Solaris. Observing what works for those inferior OSes and finding ways to incorporate or better yet, improve upon them in Solaris is one thing. fpsm _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list [email protected]
