The Enigma of Open Source (May 2004)

Open Source and the Free Culture Movement (May 2004)

Great article on Open Source Problems (April 2004)

Comments on the SCO debacle (August 2003)

My problems with Linux and IDE tape drives (August 2003)

Since I wrote the below (July 2002):

• Linux now has a graphical IDE, at least for KDE; there are also more limited solutions from Borland and IBM.

• Connecting to the Internet via Linux is much easier, although still not as slick as in Windows

• The documentation picture has improved, but given the many changes in recent versions, it is still difficult to find the right version of the right tool for a given job, especially if you have to look outside of your own distribution (e.g. Red Hat).

• The newer versions bring their own headaches - the problem of library version dependency cycles has grown much worse. I refer to the problem where to correct a security vulnerability in program A, you first need to upgrade package B; but to upgrade package B, you first need to upgrade package C; and upgrading package C will break many other applications or utilities, etc. ad inf. 

• Security problems are starting to crop up more frequently as hackers return their attention more and more to breaking Unix boxes. The recently revealed vulnerability in zlib is especially monstrous, since many program link zlib statically; so upgrading it may do no good in protecting your system!

• Because of lack of support in the OS, Linux developers and users are years behind in realizing the benefits of object-oriented development. The one exception is in Web-based apps, where the Java environment can provide some of the benefits of OO. However, this is fragmented due to lack of support in the host system.

Linux Hypocrisy (April 2001)

• "Free" software is dishonest::
  • It discounts the work of every programmer
  • It is a lie; Somebody paid for every line of that free code, since as far as I know no one has starved to death while producing the latest Linux kernel hack.
  • More often than not, that somebody is a taxpayer who supports a public university where some student is working on Linux; or an employer who may have no idea what their highly paid software engineers do with the bulk of their time.
• Linux users sneer at operating systems produced by large teams, with systematic testing, beta programs, usability research, etc. but have no compunction at ripping off the results: Linux programmers freely rip off look and feel from any source they please (often from their mortal enemy, Microsoft).
• Linux users and many Linux programmers have no idea how many bugs exist in their OS. At least at MS somebody counted.
• Linux has no asynchronous I/O; no graphical IDE; no object-oriented shell or desktop; and nothing like Visual Basic.
• Linux Dial-up networking (compared to Windows NT) is non-existent without using utilities which are themselves clumsy and unreliable.
• Linux documentation is either a) non-existent b) outdated c) highly inaccurate or d) extremely inconvenient to use. In comparison, help in Windows and Mac is almost always available in a standard interface from the Help or F1 keys . OS-related help is always up to date with the version you are running.
• Speaking of versions; every Linux box potentially has its own unique version of Linux: Download the source, apply a patch here or there, recompile with your choice of compiler and linker options, use your favorite make-do utilities to fill in the gaps, and the result is version chaos!
• Linux encourages computer snobbery. A well-known Linux booster actually claimed that he would prefer to hire a programmer to fix a bug in, or add a feature to, a Linux program, rather than use software where he would have to wait for the next version. Very well for the people who can afford their own personal programmers (or who can pass that cost on to taxpayers or to tuition payers). Not so good for those of us who can barely afford the $149 version upgrade.
• Once again, programmers have to eat, too, and in my humble opinion, good programmers should be able to eat well; doing that job with excellence requires some valuable skills and a lot of hard work.

Linux Benefits:

• Linux forces more people to learn about the guts of software.
• Linux experts can make a living and their customers can have truly unique and custom solutions.
• Corporations will have some increased incentive to reduce costs and improve software efficiency.
• Hype is always good for the economy.

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