Re: Debian and Redhat - are most linux users missing the point?
fockface dickmeat wrote:
>
> > Your thinking of the personal user, which isn't Linux's
> >strongsuit right now. Corporate customers are looking at the
> >Calderas and RedHatters of the Linux distributions. Without
> >commercial support, they won't even bother to *look* at Debian.
> >Without the attention of the corporate world, Debian won't get
> >enough advertising, or word of mouth, to become a player in the
> >end user market (whenever it develops).
> >
> >
> >--
> >Ed C.
>
> I don't think that is such a bad thing for debian to remain
> non-commercial.
No ones arguing that Deb should not remain non-commercial. The
debate centered around George Bonser's idea of a commercial
company providing a commercial distribution based on Deb.
> What happens when RH or caldera becomes 50.0001% owned by a company
> like Sun, HP or Novell? Do these companies act any different than
> M$?
No argument; thats part of why we are using Debian isn't it?
Although to be fair ...
> Would such a redhat CEO consider the ideas of the Linux Developers
> as important as the marketing strategies of his new parent company?
To be fair, RH has handled itself very 'honorably' up to this
point, but as RH becomes increasing popular (or is bought out),
will it continue to consider the larger Linux community? That's
the question. And the answer is simple: Debian.
> Will RH Linux become secondary to the success of a
> proprietary version of unix? Maybe. Hopefully Debian won't.
I don't see this. While Linux (regardless of which distribution
we are talking about) might not affect the mainstream PC OS market
any time in the future, its effect on the Unix world will be more
pronounced and imminent. After all these years, no proprietary
unix has come to dominate the Unix world, though they tried. For
middle and low end uses as a server OS, Linux is ideal (if there
is commercial support for it). I just don't see a commercial unix
taking over, and pushing Linux aside (unless this commercial unix
actually goes OpenSource).
The issue is how can Debian survive in a market where RH has
become an 800 pound gorilla, and we're not talking about the
personal end user market. The middle and low end of the server OS
market is at the center of this topic. Debian will always be
non-commercial, thats not at issue, nor will it disappear (if the
polls are right, Deb may be #2 right now). Can a commercial
company (which will be able to provide commercial level support)
using Deb as its base distribution, ensure Deb's popularity in the
market that matters at this time? Or can Deb keep up with RH in
terms of market share, without a commercial company giving it
visibility and 'legitimacy' in the server OS arena?
--
Ed C.
Reply to: