Re: Sun goes fully open source!
True, not quite 'Full Open Source', but as Linus says, think of free speech, not
free beer! Just having access to the source code puts programmers years ahead of
where Microsoft would like them to be. By Sun's licence, I, and many others, can
download and run Solaris on my own system, make as many modifications as I like,
as long as I don't re-distribute the changes. Sun is only trying to protect it's
name and intellectual property. If I feel compelled to distribute my changes,
then I post them to Sun, where they will be verified before general release. If
I want to actually try to sell my modified version of Solaris, Sun will then
require me to pay licensing fees. It is still a much better compromise then
before. And, like I said, how long before the other UNIX's follow this example.
After IBM releases AIX and HP release HP-UX, they will start battling over the
licensing. Once they are on even ground with free source code, the next logical
step is to try to out do each other by opening there licensing agreements more
than the next guy. Just try to view this as the first step. The battle is far
from over, but the first steps have been taken. I look forward to the time,
still a few years away, when the O/S will be free AND open. Computer Companies
will be service-oriented, rather than software oriented. Computer users will be
able to download and modify the O/S and apps as there needs see fit. In the
early days, companies bought the computer and hired programmers to write all
there apps. In the next millennium, the average worker will have the basic
skills to modify the apps for their purposes. We're not there now, but we've
taken the first steps.
Just my views.
John Gay
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