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Linux Business

Corporate Linux and the Community? 13

Posted by Cliff from the stuff-to-think-about dept.
namelessByChoice asks: "I'm a software developer in a rather large hardware company. We have recently begun using Linux as the OS of choice for in house hardware test equipment. Now since Linux is "free" we don't have to pay licensing fees to anyone, but as a moral obligation we would like to contribute in some way. I'm looking for suggestions on the best way to do this."

"So far we've come up with a few ideas.

  • 1. Donate money to FSF.
  • 2. Arrange a Licensing scheme with Linux distributor and use their distribution.
  • 3. Make an announcement to the media "So and so chooses Linux for mission critical applications".
  • 4. Open Source any thing that is not proprietary. By proprietary I mean things that are considered corporate secrets, such as the software that runs the equipment. Anything generic like kernel modifications, drivers, libraries could certainly be released."
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Corporate Linux and the Community? More

Corporate Linux and the Community?

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  • LUGs (Score:1)

    by Hackboy ( 5933 )

    Another great way to help out the Linux community is to help out with the local LUGs. Give them a place to meet. Speaking from experience, finding a good location is one of the hardest parts of running a LUG

    Also encourage your employees to attend, especially your most experienced Linux people. Have them monitor the mailing list and help out newbies. Sponsor an install fest.

    The best part is that most employees will find this to be very enjoyable and rewarding.

  • Digital Unix?
    AIX?
    VMS?

  • Re:heh (Score:1)

    by Tower ( 37395 )
    I'd have to say that AIX, Solaris (for Sparce, not x86), and VMS (agreeing with the other poster) are surely ready for mission critical applications. AIX (for example) runs a journaled FS, is one of the most rock-solid OSs I've seen, scales amazing well (can you say S80 or SP (i.e. Deep Blue), and is one of the most well tested Un*xes.... nice troll.
    --
  • Your fourth point is incorrect. The company does NOT have to release kernel modifications or any GPLed code. If they distribute any binaries, then they have to release the source, but they do not have to release at all the source if they don't, although it's certainly a good thing to do. I would recommend that you do all of these things, except for #2, as that's very vague and could easily be something that we don't want at all.

    Chris Hagar
  • While this would certainly be the best thing for the company, what you're saying doesn't so much do what the poster is asking, and that is to "give something back." This, I believe, could be accomplished by doing all of the above except for #2 because that could be something that's actually negative.

    Chris Hagar
  • use it for a while and see if there is an app
    that you like but it needs some work.
    Then contact the peaple working on it
    and ask them what they need.

    this is a win win situation you get a better app
    they get what they need to produce it:}

    and if you dont do anything else make it known
    that your company uses and has had success
    with it. Hopefully on the senior management
    front that is where it will do the most good.
    If a geek askes his boss if they can go with a linux solution and
    the boss has just talked to someone last week about the success your company
    has had with it he/she will be more likely to
    allow it to be used.
  • I felt a moral reponsibility to do number 4; I persuaded my bosses and now we release anything [human.it] which it wouldn't harm our business to release as Free software - libraries, bits and pieces, whatever we invent that has wider application than we are making of it.

    Donating to the FSF is making a bit more of a political statement than simply doing unto others as they have done to you (they let you use their software so you let them use yours).

  • "mission critical applications"

    That would be email. Seriously though, Linux can be pretty secure if the admin knows what he or she is doing. That's a big if.
  • Donate some computers with Linux preloaded to some of your local schools. The kids will start out learning about computers running Linux, and it will become their OS of choice due to familiarity.
  • Another great way to help out the Linux community is to help out with the local LUGs.

    A good idea. How about looking for other local projects (which could be LUG-related), such as getting free software into local schools (they may appreciate hardware as well!). I'm investigating a project along these lines myself, so many schools know only M$, but see little reason for things to be otherwise.
    -Derwen

  • except for #2 because that could be something that's actually negative.

    How in tarnish could setting up a licensing/support/partnership with a Linux distributor be 'bad'? This provides a channel for the company work work through with their Linux needs, strengthening their experience with Linux. It strengthens the Linux distributor because they have customers. customers is good. So it's a win, win situation all around.

    Can you imagine Microsoft claiming that having companies license Windows 2000 from them is 'negative'?

    -Brent
  • License the direstobution from a vendor with support and everything you'd get from Microsoft. That's the best thing to do. Then you have a business relationship with them.

    -Brent

  • 1. Donate money to FSF.

    That's a good idea, or you could channel money directly to others you know could use it. Like if you use Debian's distro, just send them some money (check their web site, they have details on how to contribute money).

    Another good idea along these lines is to donate used equipment (or better yet, new equipment). As most businesses have some machines laying around that will never get used again, and this could be a big help to the right project.
    2. Arrange a Licensing scheme with Linux distributor and use their distribution.

    Another good idea. But I (and maybe others) would be interested in how you mean this. Are you talking about paying a certain amount of each sale to them to 'license' their distro for each device you sell? Or is there some other arrangement you are talking about?
    3. Make an announcement to the media "So and so chooses Linux for mission critical applications".

    This is an excellent idea no matter what else you end up doing. Our company uses Linux on all of our workstations and we have put prominent "We support Linux" sort of messages on our web site and even some of our literature. And here's the kicker, we are a cabinet company!.
    4. Open Source any thing that is not proprietary. By proprietary I mean things that are considered corporate secrets, such as the software that runs the equipment. Anything generic like kernel modifications, drivers, libraries could certainly be released."

    OK, be careful on this one. Anything generic like kernel modifications (if you are modifying existing code) has to be released (nature of the current license for using the kernel). A driver doesn't have to be released as GPL if it is loaded as a module. And unless you modify an existing library you should be able to keep your 'new' libraries to yourself. But any other 'generic' things have to be released if you base them on previously GPLed code.

    However, I applaud the idea of releasing whatever else you can as GPL or at least as open source software. It's too bad more companies don't feel any sort of 'moral obligation' when 'given' something free of charge that helps them.

    Good luck to you.

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