----- Original Message ----- From: Curtis Rey Sent: 11/4/2003 11:17:23 PM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Congrats
I guess what really unsettles me is that this news rides on the back of the advent that RH is stopping there desktop/store shelf product. I also fear that many of the developers will feel betrayed insofar that they have labored long and hard and just when Linux is reaching that "critical mass" in the market and in public awareness that corporate players are swooping in to grab the glory, or more to the point the money. This in turn may represent a highjacking to the community and the fear of an insidious taking over of Linux and even the fear that Linux, in the hands of the suits, will suffer the same as Unix - a fracturing. A division and side splintering of the core Linux into a mismash of proprietary products that will attempt to corner markets and shutout its competitors in a manner that will be detrimental to Linux and OSS.
That's exactly my fear as well. Aside from not wanting to lose access to a great desktop product that I can use to get stuff done at home, I really don't want to see the Linux market splinter into semi-proprietary licensing schemes where no one produces a good, cheap distro and the focus is primarily on the enterprise and lock-in schemes. This is a scary future. A future in which your best option would be to go with Lindows? Sorry, I'll switch to something else first. Preston