IBM Launches Public Domain Project "Eclipse"

ccf writes "NY Times is carrying an article about how IBM is launching a new developer organization (Free Reg blah blah blah) called Eclipse, for open source development. The article is not rich in details; it says the stuff will be in the "public domain" but makes no mention of specific licenses." If anyone can find some links that make more sense about what this actually is, please post them.

Hardware & Services

[ishark]

Actually, I doubt that IBM is trying to be "cool". They definitely don't need it. What they want to obtain is 0-cost software, not in the sense that it costs you $0 to buy, but that it costs them (near) $0 to develop. IBM produces hardware, and hardware sells much better if software is running on it. Software changes daily and is pirated, hardware doesn't.... It's a much safer market.
For the "service" part: IBM sells solutions, which means people at your office solving problems. Again $0 (developement) costs makes this more effective and profitable.

Re:how cute

[Chocky2]

The main benefits will, I suspect, arrise not directly out of IBM becoming an open source player, but rather out if the improvement in OS's image among the many senior execs of major companies who grew up when IBM was almost a synonym for reliable, business-class computing, particularly many CIOs and CEOs have passed through the AIX-laden finance sector.

Re:how cute

[Anonymous Coward]

Quit being so skeptical!
Ever hear the saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" ?

IBM is doing wonderful things for the linux community.
So far Eclipse is an excellent Java Development environment, rivaling that of Visual Age, and it is available on Linux and Windows.
Up until now the only thing stopping me from using linux exclusively was a good Java development environment. Sure there is netbeans and jbuilder, but they were both lacking incremental compliliation that made visual age so successful.

Eclipse is also much more than that, since it is open source, it can easily be modified to become a developement environment for other languages. A plugin could easily be put together to make it a nice front end for gcc or whatever.

After being under Microsoft's thumb for so long, IBM has alot to gain by spearheading the linux bandwagon, and the linux community has alot to gain with corporations funding such projects.

Re:Still making money

[baptiste]

They are selling Linux and getting free development work from the Open Source community. It's a creative way to cut back expenses.. just Open Source your work, and get it developed for free.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It helps IBM, sure. But we all benefit since the code is out there and can be reused in other areas unrelated to IBM so we win too. I think IBM has taken a smart avenue related to Linux. Sure, they need to make money, but they realized early on the only way to make money in OSS is to be accepted as an honest and contributing player by the commuinity which they seem committed to. More power to them!

How did IBM become cool?

[Picass0]

IBM: OUR 800 pound gorilla.

Remember IBM used to be evil the way Micro$oft is today? How did they pull their heads out?

Re:How did IBM become cool?

[joel_archer]

Imagine my suprise when I came across this in IBM's most recent Annual Report; "Why I believe Linux will fundementally change the Information Technology industry." [ibm.com]
Annual Reports are like newsletters to current and potential insvestors in the company's stock. The highlights:

IBM is a Founding Member and contributor to the Open Source Development Lab.

Over the next three years, IBM will invest more than $300 Million to develop Linux consulting, implementation and support services.

IBM is going to invest $1 billion in Linux, and dedicated 1,500 programmers to enable every IBM hardware and software product for Linux.

IBM, like almost no other company I can think of, has the resources to weather this slump in the high tech sector. It's continued support of Open Source and Linux in bad times as well as the good is encouraging. Red Hat, SuSe, Caldera, and every other distro combined doesn't even come close to the resources that IBM is bringing to the table! In fact they ALL could go belly up and as long as Big Blue is still on board, Linux has a bright future.

If "money talks", one-billion-three-hundered-million dollars says volumes, and while "talk is cheap," IBM appears to be putting it's money where it's mouth is. I hope they don't blow it!