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I took a look at this site [ http://www.RedHatIsNotLinux.org ] because
it was posted to the SuSE Linux mailing list. I agree with the spirit
of what you are trying to accomplish, in so much as it regards the
preservation of a free GLinux. (the 'G' may be silent as in "GNOME") I
believe it is a bad idea to pick on any particular distribution. I have
used SuSE for two very solid years. For the most part I am happy with
SuSE, and I have the feeling they are on of the truer distributions in
the OSS spirit. The has it's ups and downs. I have spilt blood over
HP's WJA for (Red Hat) Linux. I have had the same type of experience
with Corel's WordPerfect. In the latter case Corel was willing to
assist the SuSE community in using their product with reasonably good
results.
The danger in naming Red Hat specifically is that it threatens to
polarize the overall Linux community. I agree that RH has the potential
of becoming the Microsoft of GLinux. To a large extent this is not
their "fault". It's not RH who demands these vendors produce RH
specific products. It seems to be more a combination of the
traditional, one vendor of OS's, paradigm, as well as an ignorance on
the part of the hardware vendor community as regards the overall GLinux
community and market. I have never used RH, but I'm sure they produce a
fine distribution. In the last century the Unix industry attempted to
standardize on an agreed upon framework, and ended up with a
heterogeneous plethora of Unix products that tend not to provide the
interoperability promised by such an agreement. I would like to see the
GLinux community accomplish what the Unix vendors failed to do. I don't
believe singling out RH or any other distributor as the culprit will
produce the sprit of trust and cooperation required to create a truly
open GLinux platform.
The problem arises that the GLinux distributors need some type of market
differentiate to attract customers. If companies who distribute GLinux
cannot make money, they will not survive. Finding the middle ground is
not easy. It becomes more difficult when we start using antagonistic
tactics. I humbly suggest you change the focus of your campaign away
from an opposition to RH, and toward the goal of a truly open GLinux.
Thanks for hearing me out,
Steve
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