RIP: Linux Community (1991-2007)

[Darrin Chandler]

On Thu, Mar 29, 2007 at 10:41:33PM -0700, Andrew Harris wrote:
> The main reason I like open source/Linux is the people. They share their work with others so that other people can work on it and make it better. I love that! I wish everything was that way!
>    
>   This community also likes to help each other and give each other tips on how to use their software/OS. It's like having tech support, but it's free and you can give tech support back to the tech support guy.

Right you are! This kind of sharing is the larger effect of free
software. It's more like free information, and it's a natural outgrowth,
and it's very nice. I'll give you this thought to chew on... if Linux
(software) becomes more like proprietary OSs, governed by corporations
and market interests rather than by users, will the community remain
this open and helpful? Is the local PC user group or Mac user group this
open and helpful?

>   To be honest, I forgot how this topic got started, but I think it was something along the lines of proprietary drivers and things destroying the Linux community. I don't think that this will ever happen for good.

I hope not, but it CAN happen, and WILL if we let it. If we, as end
users, give up control then big companies would be fools not to take
advantage of it for profit. Why shouldn't they?

>   What could destroy the Linux community is what left Minix in the dust, which is some guy comes along and develops their own OS, which is something that Linus mentioned in the end of his book (Andrewix?).

And that's not something to be feared. If a new open source OS came
along that just kicked Linux's butt then probably even Linus would
eventually switch. ;)

-- 
Darrin Chandler            |  Phoenix BSD User Group  |  MetaBUG
dwchandler at stilyagin.com   |  http://phxbug.org/      |  http://metabug.org/
http://www.stilyagin.com/  |  Daemons in the Desert   |  Global BUG Federation