Daemon News 199903 : Now is the Time

Now is the Time

Copyright © 1999 Brett Taylor

This past month has seen a lot of interest in Open Source Software (OSS), primarily due to the Microsoft refund gatherings. Many BSD advocates seemed to voice concern that the events were "Linux only" events and in fact Microsoft seemed to attempt to make it a Linux event. It seems pretty obvious that they were doing this in an attempt to show that Linux really is a competitor.

Regardless of the fact that no one got refunds at the events, I think this publicity helps all of the Open Source Software developers, even if the press made it sound like a Linux event. Right now Linux has their 15 minutes of fame and the press knows that with the public's lack of attention span they can only represent these protesters as "Linux users." What matters though is that these events bring to the average person the idea that OSS is a viable option to Microsoft products.

At present there is an obvious dearth of third party applications for any of the OSS operating systems, although obviously Linux is gaining quite a few. The great thing is that, for the most part, any of the BSDs can take advantage of these applications through Linux emulation.

There has been a lot of discussion on the FreeBSD advocacy list about whether the group should continue focusing on the server side of things or try to branch out and become more proficient on the desktop side of things. Frankly, I think that it makes a fine desktop platform (for me) now. Certainly for the average Windows 9* user it won't in its present state. The development of KDE (http://www.kde.org/) and Gnome (http://www.gnome.org/), although designed for Linux, will help in attracting some of these users to OSS operating systems and it's a certainty that the BSDs will see some spillover from the publicity Linux is seeing right now.

As lovers of BSD, now is the time to use the publicity Linux has to promote the BSDs. If you hear of someone who wants to try Linux, suggest to them that they try your favorite BSD flavor. Then not only suggest it, but actively help them to get it installed and running. Give or loan them a CD set to get them started. Show them how to get the applications they need up and running. With people already excited about OSS operating systems, it's a great opportunity to take that excitement and direct it in a personal manner to the BSDs.

Finally, I'd like to personally thank the entire Daemon News team for putting up with my sometimes (okay all the time) erratic performance as editor/author. I'm just about finished writing and defending my PhD thesis in physics. The next time you see this column you'll be able to call me "doctor!" I'll also begin writing my DesktopBSD column and taking a more active role in the day to day workings of Daemon News. I'd also like to thank you the readers for sticking with us!

	Now is the Time Copyright © 1999 Brett Taylor This past month has seen a lot of interest in Open Source Software (OSS), primarily due to the Microsoft refund gatherings. Many BSD advocates seemed to voice concern that the events were "Linux only" events and in fact Microsoft seemed to attempt to make it a Linux event. It seems pretty obvious that they were doing this in an attempt to show that Linux really is a competitor. Regardless of the fact that no one got refunds at the events, I think this publicity helps all of the Open Source Software developers, even if the press made it sound like a Linux event. Right now Linux has their 15 minutes of fame and the press knows that with the public's lack of attention span they can only represent these protesters as "Linux users." What matters though is that these events bring to the average person the idea that OSS is a viable option to Microsoft products. At present there is an obvious dearth of third party applications for any of the OSS operating systems, although obviously Linux is gaining quite a few. The great thing is that, for the most part, any of the BSDs can take advantage of these applications through Linux emulation. There has been a lot of discussion on the FreeBSD advocacy list about whether the group should continue focusing on the server side of things or try to branch out and become more proficient on the desktop side of things. Frankly, I think that it makes a fine desktop platform (for me) now. Certainly for the average Windows 9* user it won't in its present state. The development of KDE (http://www.kde.org/) and Gnome (http://www.gnome.org/), although designed for Linux, will help in attracting some of these users to OSS operating systems and it's a certainty that the BSDs will see some spillover from the publicity Linux is seeing right now. As lovers of BSD, now is the time to use the publicity Linux has to promote the BSDs. If you hear of someone who wants to try Linux, suggest to them that they try your favorite BSD flavor. Then not only suggest it, but actively help them to get it installed and running. Give or loan them a CD set to get them started. Show them how to get the applications they need up and running. With people already excited about OSS operating systems, it's a great opportunity to take that excitement and direct it in a personal manner to the BSDs. Finally, I'd like to personally thank the entire Daemon News team for putting up with my sometimes (okay all the time) erratic performance as editor/author. I'm just about finished writing and defending my PhD thesis in physics. The next time you see this column you'll be able to call me "doctor!" I'll also begin writing my DesktopBSD column and taking a more active role in the day to day workings of Daemon News. I'd also like to thank you the readers for sticking with us! Brett Taylor, brett@daemonnews.org

Now is the Time

Copyright © 1999 Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor, brett@daemonnews.org