Linux mingles while Windows Vista spits cash
By Matt Jansen
Novell is trying something different in the Linux world–it’s building compatibility with other Linux distributions. Meanwhile Microsoft continues to lure new users to Windows Vista and XP using cash deals with silver lining.
By nature, open source projects encourage diverse responses to a common set of problems. When focused on a single project that can create solutions that leap ahead of the current status quo.
Unfortunately for Linux, that same diversity has allowed the creation of many different distributions of Linux. And, compatibility between them is spotty. Seeing an opportunity in those gaps, Novell just announced that its openSUSE Build Service will now allow the production of software for Red Hat Linux.
Novell writes “the openSUSE® Build Service, an innovative framework that provides an infrastructure for software developers to easily create and compile packages for multiple Linux distributions, has extended its support to now build packages for CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The openSUSE Build Service already supports several Linux distributions including openSUSE, Ubuntu, SUSE® Linux Enterprise, Debian and others.”
This puts Novell in a position where it could graciously accept the position as a standards-setting entity. The company is certainly focused on winning over the hearts of developers, it writes:
“Developers who want to provide their software to a broader audience of Linux users are often hampered when packages built for one distribution will not work on other distributions. The openSUSE Build Service is the only open source build system that helps developers provide packages with the same high quality for multiple distributions from the same source code. With the system imaging tool KIWI, open source developers can more quickly build a Linux distribution that meets their needs, rigorously test it to ensure product quality, and easily package it for quick installation.”
In contrast with initiatives like this in the Linux world, Microsoft continues to target young audiences by giving away cash to schools and producing discounted versions of Windows XP for countries it chooses.
While money drives the economy, perception of value drives its exchange. That means Linux must continue to convince businesses and consumers that its value proposition is one of low cost, reliability, and compatibility in order to compete with a company like Microsoft.
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January 27th, 2008
“Unfortunately for Linux, that same diversity has allowed the creation of many different distributions of Linux. And, compatibility between them is spotty.”
What the hell are you talking about? How about an example of these incapabilities?
January 27th, 2008
Hi Ken, check out this migration white paper from IBM for several concerns that arise when looking at compatibility between distributions of Linux: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/eserver/library/es-bincomp/
January 27th, 2008
Many things are true about the statement. For instance, a command line with arguements that work in one distro many times are totally different for the same task in another. Linux’s diversity is also its downfall. If everything in the Linux world was the same for each distro (though this would squash the idea of different distros) then Linux would have a fighting chance. When things are different between distros, GUIs, installs (rpm vs tar for example) you will have the confusion that prevents Linux from becomming mainstream. Sorry if you and the open source community see this differently, but if you continue to kid yourselves on it, you will ensure a bright future for Microsoft.
And lets talk about how Linux and Open Source is cheaper. At the server level, in order to have backup software support Linux, you must run the enterrpise versions of Linux. Like RedHat ES. Now RedHat ES won’t let you patch it unless you purchase *yearly* support for it. Over the course of 3 – 5 years (typical hardware refresh for servers) you are paying far more for that RedHat server than Microsoft. At least with Microsoft, you pay for the software and then patches are free without yearly maint. And speaking of patches, I just installed ES 4.6 two weeks ago and had over 400MB of patches. WHOA! Took forever to get from the repository and then even longer to install. Linux is NOT the godsend that advocates make it out to be.
January 27th, 2008
steve:
“in order to have backup software support Linux, you must run the enterrpise versions of Linux.”
erm what!? what about rsync.net or any website and any backup tool?
windows doesn’t give you free offsite backups either. For onsite backups well theirs tar or keep or cp
dear steve please stop spreading FUD
p.s enterrpise has one r
January 27th, 2008
“Many things are true about the statement. For instance, a command line with arguements that work in one distro many times are totally different for the same task in another.”
Steve, did you know that with some command line tools, one language version of Windows (i.e., German) provides totally different command line arguments than another language version of Windows? Yes, in Windows, some CLI arguments are localized!
January 27th, 2008
“Many things are true about the statement. For instance, a command line with arguements that work in one distro many times are totally different for the same task in another.”
Steve, did you know that with some command line tools, one language version of Windows (i.e., German) provides totally different command line arguments than another language version of Windows? Yes, in Windows, some CLI arguments are localized.
January 27th, 2008
Juan, I didn’t see any FUD there. Who in the world backs up their enterprise to some online service instead of local tape or other off-line storage device? If you are backing up your mission-critical applications to some external website, you are entirely too trusting.
You need to be able to backup and restore from bare-metal. What Linux tool is out there that the average home user can get that will do this? I can use Ghost for Windows for all versions of Windows, but what about native Linux tools? I don’t see any out there. What about differentials? Application roll-back? Backing out of a bad software installation or setting?
January 28th, 2008
Lisa
http://www.linux.org/apps/all/Administration/Backup.html
Application rollback in ‘nix is simple if you have installed from repositories, otherwise it is usually pretty simple, because there is not a sucks-to-hell registry. You obviously think the MS model is a standard to emulate, and by your questions, have little ‘nix experience.I’ve got a persistent /home folder that keeps my preferences safe. I can blow out the installation, reinstall the OS and have my email, browser with bookmarks etc…without needing to reinstall the programs individually, and without needing to reboot. Acronis has bare metal Server software. There are multiple disk imaging tools for Linux. If you couldn’t find this stuff yourself, take a Google class. There’s a reason much of the internet runs on ‘nix.
http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
January 29th, 2008
Why again, they’re talking about many “distributions” in Linux, and compatibility issues? With Windows I cannot use the same drivers for XP Media Center in XP Professional, or do a recover or reinstall with XP Professional on an XP Home machine! If anybody is going to talk about “incompatibilities” let’s talk about all the Windows “flavours”, that with Vista is just more of the same kind of thing. I have used Windows for many years, and I’m convinced that the only reason MS has so many flavours is to segment the market for their own benefit, not that of the customers/users.
What seems to be the case is that many “Windows” fans do not realize that Linux is a close cousin of Unix, which has, by design, an intrinsic robustness that MS only dream of.
Also, I have found that a lot of people who offer opinions on Linux/BSD/Unix, etc., have never use anything other than MS Windows, so they don’t really know what hell they are talking about.
January 29th, 2008
The main problem I have always found in Windows is that when you create data files they are everywhere, so to make a backup it’s literally a pain in the you-know-what to look for all those files and make sure you’ve backed up all of them. Restoring files is also a pain.
In Linux ALL data files are inside a specific user’s directory (folder) so a simple copy and sync would do it. To move from one distro to another, just backup the entire /home/username directory, and voilá! you’re done.