The Answer Guy
Linux and SCO Keymap --or--
linux kernel security --or--
Dosemu and virtual terminals? --or--
NT Domain and Linux --or--
DAO software for linux? --or--
tn3270 security
readdress COM port to 3 or 4
Lilo won't boot --or--
help on unix --or--
winprinters & MTAs: Pointers and Corrections
FoxPlus for Linux? --or--
auto response for email ?
Connecting Linux to Win '95 via Null Modem
PC lockups --or--
gzip from C program --or--
LOVE THE NEW LOOK!!!!
please, advice about Linux and C500 --or--
printing Solaris->Linux --or--
Help Wanted --or--
Memory deallocation problems --or--
tv cards and dual monitor
Well another month is upon us. This last month was particularly busy since I was able to afford the USENIX technical conference, in New Orleans --- the best annual gathering of fellow Unix and Linux nerds I've ever found. If you can get your boss to send you to just one computing technical conference in the next year --- ask for it to be this one (or the USENIX/LISA --- Large Installation Systems Administration which will be in December).
Linus was there with his wife, Tove, and their two baby daughters. He agreed to host an "intimate little BoF" (Birds of a Feather discussion) which turned out to have over half of the conference attending it (much to his surprise).
The '97 USENIX in Anaheim had a "parallel track" for Linux. This year had one for "Freenix" (collectively referring to FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and the GNU HURD, in addition to Linux). It's important for us (Linux users) to recognize that Linux wasn't the first "free" Unix kernel, and it is by no means the only one.
I've been trying to encourage the free *BSD users (all variants) to come out of the woodwork and show up at their local Linux user's group meetings. I know they'll be welcome at the Silicon Valley LUG (http://www.svlug.org) and I sincerely hope that they'll be welcome at other Linux events. Now that we're getting enough market share to get noticed in the press, and to have some effect on the decisions of hardware and software vendors (particularly in the areas that relate to documentation and NDA's) --- it would be a very bad time for us to get embroiled in the sorts of infighting that's been stifling the commercial Unix vendors for so long.
I noticed an interesting press release (forwarded to me by my wife) regarding Microsoft's new "WISE" (Windows Interface Source Environment: http://www.microsoft.com/win32dev/base/wise.htm) which basically looks like a scheme to bolster the commercial Unix vendors up in their battle against the free Unix clones (by providing them with some limited support for running Windows '95 software). (From the looks of it the WINE and Bochs projects may eventually be more capable).
Luckily these, and the other interesting user space projects that are going to make Linux more accessible to non-technical users, like GNOME, KDE, and GNUStep are portable. Linux has been a primary development platform for many of these projects --- but they all run under other versions of Unix.
So, while it may look like Linux is "taking over the world" --- it is also opening up a world of opportunity for all of the other Unix variants. There are now a few million users of Linux that will feel right at home in just about any Unix on just about any hardware.
Perhaps that's why Sun and SGI are both supporting Linux projects.
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Greetings from Jim Dennis