I have no love for IBM either.  It's obvious that IBM and Linux is a 
marriage of convenience; but sometimes those arrangements work out.  I'm 
afraid I don't see IBM and M$ as bedfellows.  I would expect low end IBM 
servers to be running Windows if that were true.  Of course, I'm finding 
it a bit incredible that RedHat would recommend Windows on the desktop.  
Maybe IBMs relationship is about getting RedHat to fall on their sword 
and make way for M$?  It sounds more than a little far-fetched to me.

Microsoft was my favorite back when MS-DOS broke the hold IBM had on the 
PC.  Remember those halcyon days?  PC clones offered an inexpensive 
alternative and had some basic programming capability built in.  You 
could write your own solutions and didn't need to buy expensive 
proprietary hardware and development software like you did for the Apple 
computer.  When it came out, Windows 3.x gave you an inexpensive GUI 
alternative to the expensive (and better) Apple MacIntosh.  I thought 
Microsoft was about providing value to their customers; not the best -- 
but the most for your money.  I guess they had me fooled.

It's funny, but if you describe the same scenario today without naming 
the players it sounds a bit like the relation between Linux 
(collectively playing MS), Microsoft (in place of IBM) and Apple.  I'm 
still in favor of the value leader, but I'm a whole lot less optimistic 
about their chances.

Dave Alitz

Sam MacDonald wrote:

> Lets see how can I put this without getting flamed...  can't so here I 
> go.
>
> <pseudo code>
> IBM and Redhat = in bed together
> IBM and M$ = in bed together
> IBM and Novel = in bed together
> IBM and Suse = in bed together
> If
>    IBM in bed with Redhat
>        and IBM in bed with M$
>    then
>        Redhat in bed with M$
> If
>    IBM in bed with everyone
>        and IBM financing everyone
>    then
>        IBM owns everyone
> endif
> </pseudo code>
>
> IBM believes in UNIX/ Linux for the server and M$ for the desktop.
> IBM is the largest technology company in the world, they have huge 
> power in the industry, they have huge numbers of lawyers, do you think 
> maybe they only care about profits.  Stop thinking IBM is a company 
> that wants to help Linux, if Linux was not making money for them they 
> would try to sink Linux.
>
> Just my opinion...
>
> Putting on fire proof suit, boots, and helmet, picking up fire 
> extinguisher, standing in Lake Superior!  Tucking head between legs 
> and kissing @$$ good by!
>
> Sam.
>
> David Alitz wrote:
>
>> Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!
>>
>> Has anyone else come across the Halloween documents at 
>> opensource.org?  Interesting read.  They seem to confirm what I've 
>> noticed about M$.  It seems that M$ as adopted a policy of 
>> "de-commoditizing" protocols.  Basically, it means that M$ will 
>> happily sign on to new standards and then add their own "extensions" 
>> to effectively break the standard.  The crux of it is if you have M$ 
>> on the desktop you'll need their version of the protocol on your 
>> servers.  Those servers probably won't be running RedHat.
>>
>> Certainly you noticed this with most Microsoft implementations.  MS 
>> Java, Internet Explorer, MS DNS to name a few.  The next generation 
>> of Office promises to do the same for XML.  It isn't Microsoft's 
>> dedication to their customers that's causing them to alter these 
>> standards; it's their dedication to their shareholders.
>>
>> To be truthful I don't think Linux is ready for the average users 
>> desktop, but Windows on the desktop only helps M$ push it's 
>> non-standard standards on the back-end.  You'd think Redhat would at 
>> least endorse Mac.
>>
>> Dave Alitz
>>
>> Justin Kremer wrote:
>>
>>> http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5101690.html
>>>
>>> Yeah, the company that in most peoples eyes IS linux (because they 
>>> don't know any better) is telling them that they should use Windows 
>>> instead.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Justin Kremer
>>> <kremer at ringworld.org>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
>>> http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org
>>> https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org
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>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
> http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org
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