View Full Version : How open source is Linux?
For anyone who already hasn't heard. The SCO group (makers of SCO Unix) have decided that Linux has infringed on their copywrites. So now they want their money. :cry:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=13000135
It is an interesting story, if not a sad one.
Kurtis
08-06-2003, 11:21 AM
hrm... i thought the whole point of linux was open source... cough... bastards?
And I thought Microsoft was the worst...Aparently I was wrong.
T-shirt
08-06-2003, 12:02 PM
hrm... i thought the whole point of linux was open source... cough... bastards?
That is the point of Linux.
SCO's contention is that much of the code used in Linux was copied directly from Unix for which they own the rights. and it appears they may have a case. Microsoft would (and has done the same thing, when someone takes part of their copyrighted code (which they spent billions developing) and tries to repackage and resell it. As should the author of any intellecutal property or idea.
Depending on how far this goes, I think it will end up helping Microsoft more than anyone else. Being that a big advantage of Linux is its price.
T-shirt
08-06-2003, 11:15 PM
Yup! At $699 per processor, which doesn't actually include any software, tech support, updates or anything, it makes windows seem cheap. while this wouldn't be an unual fee for a complete server O/S, it appears that SCO believes ALL users should pay this fee.
And if you don't buy before november the price doubles. You wouldn't need to sell many licenses at that price. (and they won't) seems like a lot of posturing to get the big boys (ibm, redhat, etc.) to settle quickly, instead of dragging through court for the next 5-10 years
deftno9
08-06-2003, 11:33 PM
open source means u have the complete uncompiled program code for the system. everything about linux is known to the end user making it open source and available to use whenever. inheritly having that much knowledge makes it easier to hack. linux would be good if large amounts of money was invested in developing it (ie what MS did thru dos). there's some good os's for linux like x11 or beOS but witout the monay they cant compete w/ MS.
I don't know if Linux is inherently easier or harder to hack. I would like to try to build a system with it, but do not know enough about it to properly harden it. :cry: Whereas windows systems I know. What has helped Linux recently is the ability to have tech support from the major companiesie IBM, Redhat, etc. Also with the large numbers of different versions running around, there is such a variety that it can complicate things even further. But you still can't argue over the price, at least in the past.
T-shirt
08-07-2003, 09:00 AM
all the improvements you want Instructions, support, development, and standardization, even the cost of defending the "open source" cost money. even if the SCO claim is thrown out, don't expect a finished product for less.
I think Linux as a desktop OS lags far behind microsoft in the enterprise market. Where Linux does seem to be gaining ground at the cost of other OS systems is in the server market, especially in the clustered, multinode environment. I beleive what is being replace are the proprietary UNIX systems, especially SCO UNIX! :P
deftno9
08-07-2003, 10:40 AM
Linux received their first security certification a little bit back. good fer them the more ppl use that use linux the better it will become. linux is pretty much the only systems u can really hack ne more. windows security faults, as big news as they are, are nothing compared to the backdoors u find in linux so all the good hacking tools and exploit codes are for it. the cert is a small step towards closing the door and spreading happyness throughout the world. yey
security certification article
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3218 419
MaNiAk21
08-07-2003, 01:31 PM
I have Red Hat Linux 8.0, it isn't installed any longer, but it was and I didn't quite use it much, I just know Windows all too well. But if I were to try really hard, I would prolly use it again more often... too many updates I needed at the time and I was being lazy...
I would love to try to run Linux, but I don't know enough about securing it to risk it right now. I don't want to put any of my windows systems at risk with a hacked linux box. I have enough to worry about anyway. :cry:
MaNiAk21
08-07-2003, 06:10 PM
It's hard enough just to mount your windows partition anyways, won't have any problems with your windows' security if it isn't recognizeable within Linux will you? :P But I did plan on getting it to work at the time and it didn't quite work correctly, oh well... :oops:
Don't want to put Linux on the same computer, just the same network. I have a P90 sitting here with win98 that I was thinking of messing with.
MaNiAk21
08-07-2003, 08:18 PM
Oh, well, that might possibly be a problem then, don't have a firewall? :?:
I have a firewall (BlackIce, NAT), I would like to use Linux for game servers though which would need internet access, possibly sitting outside the firewall fully exposed.
MaNiAk21
08-07-2003, 10:04 PM
Oh yeah, I know what you're saying... well, got me there. :shock: :P
A new twist in the SCO/IBM battle:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=13000363
One hell of a pissing match!
MaNiAk21
08-08-2003, 09:48 AM
It has always seemed to me that IBM was run by a bunch of smart-ass, cool people, this just backs that thought up. Many other companies would have backed down under such pressure, but IBM knows what's going on... Damn SCO, damn them...
I don't know, first of all X11 isn't an OS to clear that up. Second you don't run BeOS ontop of linux it's a totally separate OS. I think linux is a competent desktop OS depending on what you need and use it for. I've been using it for the last 4 years and I've never looked back. Hell, I don't even have a windows partition anymore. Hardening it isn't that hard, there's a bunch of sites out there, whip up some iptables/ipchains. Close ports you don't use etc. You just got to try, it ain't easy relearning a whole os. As for updating, I think RH has added some stuff to make it easier. I don't know first hand since I don't use RH, been using debian for hte last 3 years. The 16th debian turned 10! Yay! Anyhoo, just giving my two cents, if you need any linux help, I'd be more than willing.
deftno9
08-18-2003, 11:40 AM
aye, my bad. x11 would be a GUI shell or something like that. For BeOS, I've never actually used it be4 :D . so it uses its own kernal? I just remember when they were building it for mac, like a million years ago, so I assumed it is fairly well developed. wow no windows?!, kudos to ur devotion and patients. what do u usually use ur comp 4?
gaming: ET, Q3, UT2003, NWN, War2 via FreeCraft (dead now) uhm and other stuff
work: OOo, abiword, gnumeric
web browsing: epiphany/mozilla
email: evolution
syncs w/ my palm.
lets see..photo stuff via my usb2 card reader and my canon powershot s30 and gimp! gimp r0x.
What else do I do, I OC it..uhh..music via xmms and oggs mostly. Rip cds w/ grip. XQF for gaming too for server browsing like ASE and Gamespy but open source..well xqf is a frontend for qstat. Hmm..what else can you do on windows taht I can't do on linux..well I do pdfs and the sort compression..oh mplayer for a media player b/c it kicks the crap out of windows media player. Supports way too many codecs for its own good. Uhh, yeah I think that's about it. Firewalling, server and all that other good linux stuff. Oh yeah programming via vim and gcc/perl.
Other issue, BeOS is well some consider it dead, but it's still very much alive. Older proprietary OS like Mac OS and Windows. It was developed by BeInc. I beliee. It's supposed to be one of the best mutlimedia OSes out there. X11 is totally different. GUIs and blah I won't get into that.
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