Testing For Linux Certification
Despite such creative attempts to wring dollars out of the open source market, Linux Certification Test presents a conundrum for most businesses. Half operating system, half social movement, it's hard to picture how the Linux developer community can adjust to a world where some lucky entrepreneur earns billions while volunteer developers work on the kernel for free.
Still, many wonder how Linux Certification Test can continue to grow without introducing the specter of money into some corner of the development process. If you look at software development, some things are just not interesting to the broad developer population. It's hard to get people to work on those things without paying them money.
Another perplexing problem is the issue of standards. Lead kernel developers such as Torvalds and Alan Cox have generally been good about settling disputes and working code forks-offshoot versionsback into the code base. Still, the notion of Linux fracturing into incompatible versions is enough to chill the enthusiasm of any IT manager old enough to recall the commercial Unix "forking wars" of the 1980s.
Still, observers such as IDC downplay this risk, citing both the general public license and the painful memories of the original Unix supporters who now play a key role in fostering the Linux Certification Test development community. Linux is very much a throwback to the Unix community. It isn't Unix, but it's the same people, sadder but wiser. Risk is seen, however, is in the idealism that set most Unix developers up for disappointment in the first place. Like Linux, the original AT&T version of Unix created by Bell Labs programmer Ken Thompson in 1969 began life as little more than a hobby It wasn't until an open source version of the program, known as the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), began to flourish in academic and research computer labs that programmers began hailing it as the software equivalent of the Holy Grail-a write-once, run-anywhere operating system. IBM isn't the only company worried about excessive zeal within the Linux Certification Test community. Eric Hahn, founder of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Inventures Group, witnessed firsthand the risks of getting too emotional about technology during his tenure at Netscape. He says Linux programmers run the risk of falling into a similar trap. He notes in particular their use of Windows NT as community rallying point, despite the fact that Linux and Windows NT seem to flourish in separate market niches. Looking back at Netscape, the worst mistake I and others made was confusing helping the world with hurting Microsoft. Nobody has ever made a successful long-term company by bashing Microsoft. Unfortunately, some people in the open source community ignore that. They cross that line.
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