RE: RE[2]: Why

["Paul McHale" <pmchale@doubleesolutions.com>]

Bob,

>
> The new Evil Empire is not RedHat. That's a mistake many of us have made.
> Debian will rue the day it got in bed with Corel. I predict
> Obergruppenfuhrer
> Cowpland will mount a full court legal press - and soon - to
> break the GPL.
>

You may be right, but I hope you are wrong.  I think old Linus himself would
get involved over that.  Most of what Linux stock is riding on is hype.
Redhat made nowhere near enough money to justify stock.  If Linus and co
puts the poo poo on Corel, it will kill the stock of Corel.  I don't think
anyone, even Redhat, is in any position to undermine the GPL.  It would be
seen as a direct attack on the very foundation of Linux, Open Source.
People (Microsoft) wouldn't need 10 seconds to capitalize.

> Corel doesn't give a farthing for Debian itself, the project and
> it goals. As
> far as Corel is concerned the dedicated folk who keep this wonderful
> distribution rolling along are just so many bright kids who
> "don't get it,"
> and I suspect - at least as far as the last claim is concerned -
> that they are
> right.
>

>From a stock holders view, your correct.  But everyone realizes Linux works
because it is a volunteer effort.  Subvert that and Linux will dissipate.
No one participating is in a position to do that.  Realistically, the
idealist would simply step away from the keyboard.  Any attack on GPL
(provided the die hard developers live and breath it) would be pointless.

> If you think things have changed around here in the past year or
> so with the
> advent of "Open Source," hang on to your hats; we're in for a
> real ride, and
> real soon, and it won't be nice to watch...
>

You want a nightmare.  Here's one.  Microsoft buying Corel.  That's a
nightmare.  Stockholders aren't so idealistic.  It could happen.  I just
hope Bill hasn't thought of it...  After all, they did invest in apple.
They could major league invest in Corel and claim they are supporting open
source.  Let the subversion begin.  They could buy Corel, run it into the
ground, claim open source doesn't work and that's why it failed.  They
tried, after all.  Talk about the plot out of a bond movie.  (mad scientist
laugh :)


paul