Open Source Infoworld

Yeah, and the last two issues are the only ones I've read in about 5 years cover to cover.

The Bob Lewis article SHOCKED ME, because he's such a "corporate guy", someone who doesn't like "risk", "politics", or "martyr causes".

However, there are 3 dynamics, I think, that are really pushing this.

1. If you haven't already noticed, a huge majority of Infoworld's ad space is bought by IBM, HP, and Microsoft. IBM and HP have been sending serious signals that their future product lines will be all (or mostly) Linux. I doubt seriously that HP intends to run the new Itanium servers on HP/UX. The lower end of HP's Unix line is already Linux, and I think Linux will move up the food chain until HP/UX is gone. IBM started at the bottom AND at the top (mainframe), and is now squeezing Linux into the mid-tier with L5 (RS/6000). Both HP and IBM want to leave kernel development to someone else to lower costs. That someone else is the Linux development community.

2. Microsoft's licensing practices are going to destroy them. New versions of Windows (XP, 2002, etc.) will REQUIRE online registration before they can be used. One ZD author (Coursey?) had his Word XP DISABLED on an airplane on the way to a trade show. The disabled version prevented him from using Word at all, except as a reader. He had to write all his stuff in Notepad or WordPad. Since Microsoft will be recieving an online registration request from XP upgrades, what better time to check and see if you really licensed 95, 98, or ME? If Microsoft can't find a prior registration, then they could send the SPA thugs to your door, to collect those prior OS license fees in addition to the XP upgrade you just purchased. Guilty unless you can find your "hologram certificate". Hope you filed those away very carefully, 1 per machine. Finally, you're purchasing a LEASE on XP and beyond generation software. This means that 1 year from your upgrade date, Microsoft will be hitting you again for fees for another year. What? You want to stay on XP and NOT UPGRADE? Sorry, you can't do that. Microsoft will only support 2 generations of software (current and 1 prior). If you refuse an upgrade, your system will be disabled, and when you DO upgrade, you'll pay the FULL PRICE FOR A NEW INSTALLATION. Corporations are completely and totally fed up with BS like this. Our 53 person company was "visited" by the SPA thugs about 6 months before I hired on, and we ended up paying over $100,000 for licenses (in a convenient 12 month payment schedule). Our owner is now completely, totally and forever dedicated to removing as much Microsoft as we possibly can from the organization. When the thugs come back, we'll be a HP/UX and Linux shop. Sorry Microsoft! I think a LOT of companies are following our thinking.

3. In the tough economy, not only are the financial guys telling IT and programming to "do with less people", but they're also telling the IT and programming staff to not spend on stuff either. Hardware can be picked up for a SONG. We're finding former mid-range/mainframe servers on eBay for 10 cents on the dollar or less. Sun Ultra 5's for $600. HP 9000 C180's for $350. HP 9000 K series 580 for $5200. (The list was between $60,000 and $100,000 on HP's web site). Sun 3500, 4500 series for $30,000-40,000. BUT, software is still expensive. Oracle is still $40,000 per processor (plus $20,000 per processor for clustering). BEA is still $15,000 per processor. You get the idea. However, Enhydra and PostGreSQL, are free downloads and even the commercial versions are 4x to 5x cheaper than commercial products. So, corporations are realizing that to win in the "tough new economy", you buy your servers off of eBay, and you run Open Source software, and hire capable people. Besides, support for commercial products (like Oracle) was pretty much a crock anyway. If you didn't have great people to ask the "right kind of question" to the Oracle support people, sorry you're listening to a dial tone.

So the combinations of these 3 has corporate America interested, and InfoWorld is just following the trend.

Glen Austin

Post #7,596 by gdaustin 9/3/01 9:12:37 PM Reply	Open Source Infoworld Yeah, and the last two issues are the only ones I've read in about 5 years cover to cover. The Bob Lewis article SHOCKED ME, because he's such a "corporate guy", someone who doesn't like "risk", "politics", or "martyr causes". However, there are 3 dynamics, I think, that are really pushing this. 1. If you haven't already noticed, a huge majority of Infoworld's ad space is bought by IBM, HP, and Microsoft. IBM and HP have been sending serious signals that their future product lines will be all (or mostly) Linux. I doubt seriously that HP intends to run the new Itanium servers on HP/UX. The lower end of HP's Unix line is already Linux, and I think Linux will move up the food chain until HP/UX is gone. IBM started at the bottom AND at the top (mainframe), and is now squeezing Linux into the mid-tier with L5 (RS/6000). Both HP and IBM want to leave kernel development to someone else to lower costs. That someone else is the Linux development community. 2. Microsoft's licensing practices are going to destroy them. New versions of Windows (XP, 2002, etc.) will REQUIRE online registration before they can be used. One ZD author (Coursey?) had his Word XP DISABLED on an airplane on the way to a trade show. The disabled version prevented him from using Word at all, except as a reader. He had to write all his stuff in Notepad or WordPad. Since Microsoft will be recieving an online registration request from XP upgrades, what better time to check and see if you really licensed 95, 98, or ME? If Microsoft can't find a prior registration, then they could send the SPA thugs to your door, to collect those prior OS license fees in addition to the XP upgrade you just purchased. Guilty unless you can find your "hologram certificate". Hope you filed those away very carefully, 1 per machine. Finally, you're purchasing a LEASE on XP and beyond generation software. This means that 1 year from your upgrade date, Microsoft will be hitting you again for fees for another year. What? You want to stay on XP and NOT UPGRADE? Sorry, you can't do that. Microsoft will only support 2 generations of software (current and 1 prior). If you refuse an upgrade, your system will be disabled, and when you DO upgrade, you'll pay the FULL PRICE FOR A NEW INSTALLATION. Corporations are completely and totally fed up with BS like this. Our 53 person company was "visited" by the SPA thugs about 6 months before I hired on, and we ended up paying over $100,000 for licenses (in a convenient 12 month payment schedule). Our owner is now completely, totally and forever dedicated to removing as much Microsoft as we possibly can from the organization. When the thugs come back, we'll be a HP/UX and Linux shop. Sorry Microsoft! I think a LOT of companies are following our thinking. 3. In the tough economy, not only are the financial guys telling IT and programming to "do with less people", but they're also telling the IT and programming staff to not spend on stuff either. Hardware can be picked up for a SONG. We're finding former mid-range/mainframe servers on eBay for 10 cents on the dollar or less. Sun Ultra 5's for $600. HP 9000 C180's for $350. HP 9000 K series 580 for $5200. (The list was between $60,000 and $100,000 on HP's web site). Sun 3500, 4500 series for $30,000-40,000. BUT, software is still expensive. Oracle is still $40,000 per processor (plus $20,000 per processor for clustering). BEA is still $15,000 per processor. You get the idea. However, Enhydra and PostGreSQL, are free downloads and even the commercial versions are 4x to 5x cheaper than commercial products. So, corporations are realizing that to win in the "tough new economy", you buy your servers off of eBay, and you run Open Source software, and hire capable people. Besides, support for commercial products (like Oracle) was pretty much a crock anyway. If you didn't have great people to ask the "right kind of question" to the Oracle support people, sorry you're listening to a dial tone. So the combinations of these 3 has corporate America interested, and InfoWorld is just following the trend. Glen Austin
Post #7,599 by Andrew Grygus 9/3/01 9:36:58 PM Reply	Minor adjustments Microsoft sends the BSA (Business Software Alliance) not the SPA (Software Publisher's Assoc. - which now exists only as an enforcement arm of the SIIA (Software and Information Industry Association)). Microsoft formed the BSA in anger when the SIIA instituted a code of ethics for software publishers. Hologram certificates are not considered adequate evidence of ownership by Microsoft and the BSA. You have to tie the software back to invoices for the machines. OEM software is not transferable, and the hologram is not evidence the software came with the machine it is on. The new stick-on holograms, if stuck to the machine, are probably considered adequate. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #7,600 by static 9/3/01 9:39:40 PM Reply	It begs the question... ... will they want us back? Wade. "All around me are nothing but fakes Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"
Post #7,602 by Andrew Grygus 9/3/01 9:50:34 PM Reply	It begs the question... . . do they even remember us? There's been a lot of turnover there. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]

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