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SubjectRe: Open letter to the UDI folks? (fwd)
On Sat, 3 Oct 1998, Alan Cox wrote:

>> >> Basically Intel and NetScape are buying a minority stake in RedHat.
>> >I'd be interested in seeing what Alan Cox has to say. He works for them -
>> >RedHat that is.
>>
>> Yes, I'm interested as well. Lets keep it a minority stake...
>
>Well I'm quite happy at the moment and Red Hat senior people believe in free
>software. I would hope the folks of the other Linux vendors are going
>"oh wow oh wow oh wow, that means we must be worth this much too and can
> invest in greater things".

Don't get me wrong. I am quite happy with what has happened too,
however I'm cautious about it. I've been very happy with many
things in the past that have turned awry.

Caldera OpenDOS for example. It's gonna be free - it was, it's
going to come with source... delay... delay... release kernel
source, and command.com source, but no utility source...
practically useless source unless you have 1800 compilers...
Then they did a turnaround and made it ClosedDOS, and reverted
back to DRDOS.

I spent a *CONSIDERABLE* amount of time on the OpenDOS mailing
lists, and advocating OpenDOS for Caldera, giving free advocacy
lines in my .signature, webpage space, etc... I roared how great
OD was, and Caldera for releasing it.

I was then slapped in the face. This is the third such time this
has happened. So I'm cautious about hearing things from
commercial companies until I get to see the results.

Nonetheless, I do advocate RedHat, and think it is the best dist,
I don't think RedHat is going to turn around on the community in
any way, but it is *Intel* that I'm concerned about.

Intel is to hardware as Microsoft is to software.
Monopolistically that is. Intel has tried to crush competition
with AMD, Cyrix, etc... in the past, and I simply want to have a
choice, and not be locked into one vendor of hardware. So
Intel's business ethic is not fully trustworthy IMHO. Granted,
it isn't as low as Microsoft's (0%), but it isn't perfect either.

In this scenario, all I can say for myself is "wait and see".
Personally, I think Linux will benefit, and so will RedHat, and
perhaps other vendors as well, but i'm looking at other things
like: How will this deal affect AMD? Cyrix? Will Merced be
cloned, or will we be paying $10000 a chip for a Merced for the
next 10 years? I'm very concerned about this type of thing.

That doesn't mean I think something bad *IS* going to happen,
just that we should be cautious. I *HOPE* that Intel can see the
light with this, and open source their own software, and also
their hardware specs.

I'm sure you are aware of Appendix H... I don't want to see
something like that happen... Unless through the deal, only
Redhat gets Appendix H next time. ;o)

My concern with the investment by Intel, is their "say" in the
direction of RedHat. In other words, if RedHat says, we're going
to do "foo" and Intel says - "No. We'll pull out if you do foo".
If that "pulling out" would be detrimental to RedHat, then Intel
would have a "power" in the ballgame.

That I fear.

--
Mike A. Harris - Computer Consultant - Linux advocate

Linux software galore: http://freshmeat.net


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