Threats (Subversive and Otherwise) to GNU/Linux Growth
From a purely technical perspective, there is little or no reason why GNU/Linux-powered devices should cease to thrive. They could even become a de facto choice in consumer appliances for years to come. In turn, more broadly we might find desktop deployments that consistently use GNU/Linux as the platform of choice. However, the greater barriers to the GNU/Linux desktop are more subtle.
Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, keeps insisting that Microsoft, by failing to compete based on technical merits, resorts to fear, uncertainty and doubt techniques -- sometimes going as far as intimidation. More recently, Torvalds said he was becoming concerned about what he described as "external issues -- especially patents."
This makes a classic case where legacy products are unable to compete, so laws and/or technical policies are being modified using sources of great influence while psychological games are being played. This alters the rules of the competition, creating a "moving goalposts" scenario which seeks to reverse the tipping point.
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Who sets the standards ? Push Microsoft first ? Rest follows ?
Standards are the interopertive connections. Currently .net strategy(SOA) wins hands down. The foundation is the browser being the real and true operating system of any computer. Only browser can operate all the components and peripherals of any computer. Linux kernels, drivers, and network all merely support the browser. So, we can expect a major architectural change in the development of operating systems. All instructions used in any computer will be microkernels. Then browsers will be much faster to operate in threads(realtime). QNX is an illustration.
Microsoft with its market share and its coming server 2008 will set the tone on new standards. From .net strategy of virtual administrator(system center essentials) to desktop. Any distro has to have server versions to couple with their desktops. Slackware v11 and v12 are example of how to cover all computers in use. Server 2008 and Vista, XP(IE7.0/8.0), ME and 98(IE6.0) maybe even 95(IE5.5) are now updated recently also for compliance with Server 2008 when released. Novell and RedHat can not be left far behind.
More standards will be discussed, so that committees can function. This will be done in the next 5 years. Standards need handbook. Will Datamation push for Microsoft handbook(extension to IBM x86 handbook) for interoperative computer functions?