Good Morning List Lurkers,
Just an idle thought, on what will likely cancel my Christmas Card from
Pookeepsie or Endicott...
IBM has just purchased a second open source project. It is fascinating
research to see what IBM did decades ago when they gained control of their
first open source project...
In 1989 Melinda Varian writes
(http://www.leeandmelindavarian.com/Melinda/25paper.pdf) about IBM and
it's eventual hegemony over the VM distribution tape and the lucrative
licensing which, to my mind handsomely paid for assured operational IBM
technical support at VM installations. A quick quote from Page 37 of
Melinda's description:
"These tapes of tools, modifications, utilities, cookbooks, etc., were
contributed by VM people around the world and became vital to
installations getting started in VM.."
It is my considered opinion and belief; a feeling that seems to be
substantiated by Melinda's Papers that VM CP/CMS started as an open source
project and, during the turbulence and innovation of the 80's, IBM
"closed" the VM "Waterloo Tape" at VM/370.
Note that VM licensing, while a really great business and revenue
decision on the part of IBM, has lingered as a barrier to VM research,
development and training. IBM licensing VM has always been an annoyance
to me personally in my own non-commercial attempts to develop proficiency
in CP and CMS. Probably why I spend so much time singing the blues about
Bash.
OK, given that the past is prelude, when do you think that the new
IBM management at Red Hat will close Red Hat source...
Keep in mind that this thought involves a lot of lawyers, and very few
programmers!
Help me better understand this.
Kindest Regards,
☮ Paul Flint
(802) 479-2360 Home
(802) 595-9365 Cell
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Paul Flint
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