Red Hat chairman says Linux won't fragment

From...

March 24, 2000
Web posted at: 9:00 a.m. EST (1400 GMT)

by David Legard

(IDG) -- Worries that the Linux operating system (OS) could fragment in the same way as Unix are unfounded, as there are no commercial incentives for companies to produce separate versions, according to Robert Young, chairman of Linux distributor Red Hat.

Instead, maintaining a single version of the OS is important for all the players in the industry as Linux moves towards mainstream acceptance, Young said in his keynote address at LinuxWorld 2000 in Singapore.

"In the Unix world, there was the ability to cause the OS to fork, and also the incentive," he said. "Companies would add a feature and tell the world their version was better. That caused other companies to bring out their own versions with additional features, fragmenting the OS."

	MESSAGE BOARD
Linux

It is the open-source nature of Linux that turns this proposition on its head, Young said.

"There is no incentive for Linux to fork -- its primary value is its single kernel on which to build features for customers to use," he said. "Some companies which tried to fork the OS found themselves going down a dead end. Everybody wants to work with the mainstream code and everybody shares the benefits equally."

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE

IDG.net home page

Make your PC work harder with these tips

Download free PC software fast

TechInformer: The Thinking Internaut's Guide to the Tech Industry

IDG.net's products pages

Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net

E-BusinessWorld

IDG.net's Windows software page

Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you

Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletters

Search IDG.net in 12 languages

News Radio

Fusion audio primers

Computerworld Minute

The LSB (Linux standard base) standardization is an important move for the OS, but the history of Linux shows that even if LSB proves unworkable it would not be the disaster that some people believe, Young said.

"In 1995 and 1997 we were confident that Linux would not fork, simply because it had not yet done so," he said. "Then we realized that it hasn't forked because that means programmers have to do more of the difficult, repetitive maintenance work, rather than the fun stuff of building applications in the first place.

"I have real conviction that Linux will not fragment," he said.

Young said there were several other myths being perpetuated about Linux.

First, Linux is not something "built by a 16-year-old in a basement," as some people attempt to portray Linux originator Linus Torvalds, but an OS whose roots date back 30 years and that has been built by thousands of software professionals all over the world for their own use.

Second, Linux is not just a competitor for Microsoft, it is a reinvention of the software technology model in favor of users.

"All those companies building proprietary software are using a broken technology model," he said. "The proprietary model makes no sense when open-source technology can deliver better and faster products."

Open-source companies such as Red Hat are able to use teams of software engineers worldwide via the Internet, resources that even Microsoft cannot match. This cooperative community of programmers and users inevitably means that open-source software is likely to be more secure, more reliable and better tested than any single-company product can be, Young said.

"It is a David and Goliath battle," he said. "But we are Goliath and Microsoft is David."

Linuxworld 2000 began Wednesday and continues until March 25 at the Suntec Center in Singapore.

Best Linux targets home user, globally
March 7, 2000
Linux still not ready for desktop, says SuSE CEO
March 2, 2000
Handheld Linux device debuts
February 29, 2000
Red Hat program takes aim at corporate market
February 24, 2000

Corel aims to add polish to Linux
(IDG.net)
Red Hat takes heat over certification
(InfoWorld.com)
Red Hat unveils enterprise editions of Linux
(InfoWorld.com)
Forking and the LSB at LinuxWorld Paris
(LinuxWorld)
A brief history of Linux
(The Industry Standard)
Challenges ahead for the Linux Standards Base
(LinuxWorld)

Red Hat
Linux Standards Base

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.