Leaning Toward Linux

Certainly, although I'm not supposed to admit things like this, I was just as nervous meeting Torvalds as I was the first time I met Gates. After all, how do you cram a day's worth of questions into a half-hour? And what if you ask something too provocative that shuts down the discussion altogether?

On the surface, Gates and Torvalds are very different. Gates is the capitalist's dream case study, while Torvalds shuns ties that smack too much of commercial interests. They are very much alike, however, when it comes to one thing: get them talking about their passion, developing software, and it's hard to get a question in edgewise. But Torvalds has something going for him right now that Gates lost many years ago,a certain appeal to the common man. After all, this is the person who fiddled his way into Linux because he wanted a desktop for programming at his home. (For our complete interview, see crn.com.)

Now, when I ask ISVs informally about Linux, most point, with some surprise, to grassroots growth in the enterprise. But as CRN Senior Writer Paula reports in this week's cover story, the appeal of Linux is growing among small and midsize businesses that are looking for more flexibility and control over the technology they are using. That's why solution providers need to sit up and take notice. Companies like Red Hat, IBM and Hewlett-Packard are dead serious about their partner programs for Linux offerings. IBM this week will outline an aggressive incentive program, and Red Hat this fall will detail a channel overhaul intended to help shift its sales mix to 30/70 direct vs. channel.

Will the SCO lawsuit stall matters, you may ask? Certainly the company has gone out of its way to make the Linux proposition a little more scary to the average citizen. But Torvalds, who should know, says the Linux community doesn't take intellectual property matters lightly. After all, open source really isn't about making software free. It's about giving creative software developers a community platform on which to build their own commercial agendas,without paying an exorbitant entry fee.

What's your Linux agenda? HEATHER CLANCY, editor at CRN, welcomes your comments at [email protected].