| March 22, 2005 |
Open sores software
Two recent open-source dustups caught our eye, both involving what one Linux Lobbyist calls "McCarthyism," but both, interestingly, of an internal-purge nature. 1. In January, reports circulated, e.g. from LBW's Maureen O'Gara, about the much-needed, IBM-led plan to rewrite Linux from scratch. All were swatted down as inaccurate, but, according to our sources, the initial stories are more or less true. Just don't expect the effort (now denied, but well-staffed and ongoing) to be acknowledged in the near term. 2. In March, CIO Today columnist Paul Murphy wrote some infelicitous words about the non-invention of Linux by Linus Torvalds, leading AdTI to fear he might be on the road to "Raymondization." A March 11 explanation appears to have pacified the mob. The price of Linux truth-telling, it appears, is eternal vigilance. For periodic updates, click here. |
