Most of us here in the Southport area haven't heard much about Linux, or even know what it is. Do we care? Well, perhaps. If you watched the NFL playoffs this week, it seemed that almost every other commercial was for IBM touting Linux. Here is the word on Linux, as I see it.
An operating system is the software that runs your computer. It provides services for both users, and for programmers to be able to write the programs you need to use the computer. There have been many operating systems developed over the past 50 years or so that computers have been in existence. Some were memorable, some not. Only a true geek like me would wax reminiscent about old operating systems!
But probably the oldest OS still is use is Unix. Bell Labs developed the original Unix, back when companies did not perceive that software was intellectual property or that it might be worth significant revenue. Windows changed all that! Like most early software, computer users developed Linux for their own use and not as a formal product. And they shared it for free.
Bell Labs eventually sold the rights to Unix to SCO - formerly known as Santa Cruz Operations. Although SCO did have their own brand of Unix, they also licensed the rights for Unix or derivative works to other companies. There were a number of Unix variants, including IBM's AIX. But it had now become somewhat mainstream, and the licenses were not cheap. You may not be aware of it, but most of the computers that composed the Internet ran Unix.
Along came Linus Torvalds, from Finland. In the true spirit of user written software, Linus wrote a Unix look-alike, and called it Linux. It shared no code with the SCO Unix (although SCO is vehemently challenging that in the courts now), and is now written and maintained by a fairly small and close-knit team of programmers. The programming (source code) for Linux is entirely open and available for use and inspection. There are some Open Source Foundation rules on how open software is to be used and updated, but these are very broad.
To understand Linux, you have to understand the ongoing battle between the geeks and the suits. Back when I worked for IBM, I was by definition a suit, as I was a long-term manager. But I was a geek at heart, and the geeks in any area always worked for me because I was one of them. But I saw the way a lot of the suits operated, and believe me, the pointy-haired managed in Dilbert is no invention.
The geeks want to write good software, independent of the constraints of product revenue. The suits almost don't care what the software is, as long as it brings in the cash. Bill Gates used to be a geek, then became a suit, and now, as Michael Jackson, has metamorphosized into something strange and new.
So, Linux was written by the geeks for their own use, and for the glory of open software. They did it below the radar of the suits and now that it has become successful and important, the suits are trying to gain control of it. There are now companies marketing packaged version of Linux, such as Red Hat, but these companies are pretty geeky themselves.
So, Linux is making inroads into mainstream Unix usage. Many of the computers that ran the Internet are now running Linux. And companies such as IBM are touting its benefits. Will you see Linux on your desktop in the near future? Probably not. Although Linux is technically a better and more stable OS than Windows, it still adheres to its Unix origins and can be somewhat difficult to use for the casual computer user. But the underpinnings of the Internet, other networks, and e-business will come to depend on Linux more and more. And the geeks are loving it!
Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his web site at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail questions or column ideas to him at bsc@bobseidel.com. For specific inquiries, please call Bob Seidel Consulting, LLC at 278-1007.