old-www/LDP/LG/issue31/matsumoto.txt

	Engineers Pack Informal Confab, Press OS as a PC Alternative
		-- Grass-roots Linux Campaign Gathers Steam

		by Craig Matsumoto E.E. Times, July 20, 1998


    Santa Clara, Calif. - The T-shirt read, "In a world without fences, who
    needs Gates?"

    Granted, it was a Java T-shirt.  But it was an obvious choice to wear to
    a Linux rally, where engineers were plotting to take back computing from
    the clutches of Microsoft and where a vision of world domination, once
    an inside joke, began to resonate with possibility.

    A packed house of more than 1,000 Linux fans came to shower praise and
    complaints on some of the software's leading architects here last week,
    and to rub shoulders with Linux creator Linus Torvalds.  News good and
    bad about the progress of the OS came to light at this Linux
    Woodstock-actually an informal panel titled "The Future of
    Linux"-mounted by software consultants Taos Mountain, here, and the
    Silicon Valley Linux Users' Group.

    Once a hobbyists' toy, Linux has grown through user support into a
    viable OS for technical users.  And if the Linux community has its way,
    it's about to hurtle into mainstream businesses and even consumer apps.

    Linux' appeal comes from both its open nature and quasi-ownership by
    Torvalds.  The source code is available free, and all changes must be
    shared as well, per terms of the Linux license.  That's kept the OS in a
    constant evolution, as tweaks, fixes and add-ons are proposed nonstop
    across the Internet.

    "It's the open-source phenomenon" that draws engineers, said Ian Kluft,
    a software engineer and active member of the users' group. "If people
    want a change, they can submit [it] rather than wait for a vendor."

    But to keep Linux from falling into Unix's multilingual trap, Torvalds
    has maintained strict control over its kernel.  He decides which
    suggested changes are added, thus speeding the process significantly.

    On top of that, many engineers are simply frustrated with the paralytic
    effects of Microsoft's Windows.  For salvation, they're turning to
    Linux, which is usable on a PC. "I was very reluctant to switch to
    Windows and a PC," said Terry Riley, who writes Web software out of his
    home.  "I went from a Mac to Unix to avoid doing that." Riley adding
    that he expects to shift to Linux before long.

    Since part of Linux' charm lies in its availability on PCs, supporters
    were anxious to hear from Intel.  Panelist Sunil Saxena, a principal
    engineer with Intel's Unix lab, pledged his company's support for Linux
    and asked for help from the software's supporters.

    The advent of the 64-bit Merced processor should be a particular boon,
    because Linux already handles 64-bit processing on the Digital Equipment
    Corp.  Alpha chip.  "Linux already has all the things it needs to run on
    Merced," said Torvalds.  Applications will run immediately, while other
    software vendors struggle to ramp up to 64-bit computing.

    Intel also wants to work with developers, Saxena said, to help Linux
    exploit processor features such as MMX, fast system calls and 36-bit
    physical addressing.

    Certainly, Linux has its problems.  Several specific issues within the
    kernel were discussed, and more than a few users were worried that
    Microsoft's marketing efforts could still bury Linux' chances of
    breaking into mainstream corporate use.  But most of the discussion was
    aimed at a common goal: expanding Linux' reach.

    The Linux creed of "world domination"-a joke that Torvalds uses in his
    signature file-has become a dead-serious slogan for the faithful, whose
    numbers rank between 5 million and 10 million, a figure that more than
    doubles every 12 months.

    The panelists, most of whom make their living off Linux, said that as
    one of only two OSes whose market share is growing, Linux is headed for
    the top spot among Unix variants and stands a chance of infiltrating the
    consumer market before long.  Still, they were realistic about the OS's
    chances, emphasizing that applications are the key.

    Corporate executives often don't hear about Linux' advantages.  The EDA
    industry, in particular, is swelling with users who would love Linux
    tools but whose wishes go unheard. "In our field, they don't want to use
    NT.  They want to use Linux," said audience member Mike Page, Web master
    for Exemplar Logic Inc. (Fremont, Calif.).

    Panelist Larry Augustin, president of Linux workstation vendor VA
    Research Inc., noted that design engineers' cries for Linux are getting
    lost somewhere in the chain from their managers to EDA salespeople to
    EDA executives.

    Augustin cited the Linux-vs.-NT panel at the recent Design Automation
    Conference. "The specific purpose of the panel was to convince Cadence,
    Synopsys, etc. that their tools should be running on Linux," he said.
    "Every [audience member] raised their hands and said, 'We want your CAD
    tools on Linux.' The people from Cadence and Synopsys were floored."

    Augustin called for engineers to approach software vendors as directly
    as possible, aiming for the upper corporate ranks with Linux
    International's help.

    In fact, panelist Jeremy Allison, software developer with Samba, pointed
    out that Linux has already crept into widespread corporate use through
    servers, where it's invisible to users.  For example, Cisco Systems Inc.
    employees use Linux without realizing it, since the company uses a
    Linux-based print server provided by Samba.

    For the corporate environment, one advantage is that Linux can be
    tailored; any C programmer can tweak it to fit specialized needs.  All
    it takes is a pledge to make the changes publicly available.  But no
    issue scares off corporate buyers faster than support, panelists said.
    People may mock Microsoft's tech-support line, but the company runs one;
    Linux doesn't.

    Nevertheless, office applications are working their way into Linux.
    Corel Corp., which had hoped to compete with the Microsoft Office suite,
    is instead porting WordPerfect and other programs to Linux.  CorelDraw
    is also being ported, which Allison suggested would open the door to
    porting Adobe's Photoshop as well.  For home users, he said, Linux'
    crash resistance might be a selling point.  Linux lacks a standard GUI,
    but panelists didn't see that as a weakness.  It's an alien concept to
    consumers, but Linux doesn't care which of several GUIs runs.

    Intel's Saxena said Linux appears well-suited for Web servers and
    e-commerce.  Panelists also thought Internet appliances would be ground
    for the OS, because, like servers, their software isn't visible to end
    users.

    Copyright (c) 1998 CMP Media Inc.