The big physics labs that supported Scientific Linux get much or all of their funding from the US government, and that funding is allocated by politicians who depend on campaign contributions.
I wonder how much IBM contributes to the politicians who make the funding decisions for the labs, and I wonder if there is subtle back-channel pressure on lab software purchases and project funding decisions? I'm not worried about any deep conspiracy, but if we want the Scientific Linux ship to sail our way, we should learn which way the winds are blowing. Some of those winds may involve corporate users of SL and CentOS. There are surely some. I'm a "corp" but a tiny one. I can ask friends at companies like Intel and Nike. Which versions of Linux are ancestral to Google? Amazon? Netflix? They probably have their own in-house "distros", but they may desire new-hires with compatible knowledge. Lobbying for federal investment in SL may be good for their business. I can also talk with my congresscritters, if any of them are upstream of the committees that allocate US federal funding for Fermilabs, CERN, etc. Which congressional committees fund our big labs? With many things shaking loose in Washington DC over the next few months, it is probably a good time to make our moves before new structures freeze into place. Keith -- Keith Lofstrom [email protected]
