| Stupid penguin-baiting rant du jour |
Jan. 26, 2009
Linux had its chance there for a while in netbooks, but has now been duly "kicked to the curb" by Microsoft, never to surface again. This according to Robin Harris, apparently an expert in storage, who in an amusing, penguin-baiting rant published by ZDNet, ventures his opinion on desktop Linux.
This kind of thing really takes me back to the late 1990s. At the time, ZDNet was the second-largest Internet site after Yahoo! and with Linux exploding onto the scene, it didn't take journalists there long to figure out how to bait penguins. Say something nasty about the open source darling, and millions of outraged Tuxen would tramp a path to your site, spiking your traffic, filling your forums, and delivering lots of "impressions" for your advertisers.
I remember it all quite well, because at the time, I was ZDNet's Linux guy. Every time some bigshot ZDNet writer would spout off about Linux, the tiny Linux sites we were trying to establish would pay the price, because Linux geeks developed a justifiable aversion to anything ZDNet. I learned to sign up for tradeshows under the names of our actual websites -- LinuxDevices, Linux Hardware Database, Appwatch, etc. Otherwise, I'd get an earful.
So, seeing Harris's work was a real blast from the past. And, I must compliment him on his thorough understanding of the technique. I suspect he's been a compu-journalist for a long time, and learned at the feet of the ZDNet masters.
A crass, ugly headline is the most important thing: "Windows kicks Linux to the curb" -- not bad! There's a violent image to it, it likens Linux with trash, and the use of slang lends a kind of "street cred" to it -- even if the slang is 10 years old (more evidence that Harris is an old-timer).
Next, you have to follow through with more ugliness and violence, in order to keep everyone's hackles raised throughout the read. Linux will die, but thrash around in its death throes enough to hurt the establishment, the story generally goes. And sure enough, Harris here hits his full stride, with tactless phrases like "nail in the coffin" and "game over" for Linux. Meanwhile, Linux has made economics "brutal" for Microsoft, and has already "inflicted pain" on Windows, despite "losing the fight."
The one semi-interesting idea in Harris's hate piece is that Linux and open source will eventually commoditize desktop OSes, much as Android and LiMo are arguably on the road toward commoditizing smartphone OSes. It's slightly interesting, though Harris really just scratches the surface. He doesn't go on to offer any insight into the market, like drawing a parallel between Intel's Moblin project and Android. Or suggesting that Android could bust out into netbooks, too.
And anyway, the idea that the OS will disappear, or become a commodity is something I've been reading about in computer magazines since Apple's ill-fated Copland OS project in the mid-90s. The idea comes and goes, but ain't happened yet.
Has anything really changed, for that matter? For instance, have Linux geeks learned to see penguin-baiting for what it is, and ignore it? I guess I wouldn't be writing this, if they had. And I'm not alone... I see Harris has been linked from lots of Linux blogs across the Web this morning. So, you won't have a problem finding it, if you want to track it down. Me? I'm not going to link over.
-- Henry Kingman
Do you have comments on this story?
Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed