Linux has gone beyond the hobbyists` operating system (OS), with almost every company in the US having implemented Linux in some or other form. It is also becoming the OS of choice for many governments - particularly for military applications.
This is according to Jon "Maddog" Hall, who spoke to ITWeb in an exclusive interview yesterday. Hall is the president and executive director of Linux International, a group tasked with spreading the Linux gospel, and protecting the Linux trademark.
Hall prefers the title of executive director to that of president. "The board sets the policies - I just implement them," he says in justification of his title. He also favours the name "Maddog" - the nickname he received from his pupils while lecturing at a US technical college.
[VIDEO]Linux International is made up of key Linux vendors and groups (no user groups are represented as "it is intended to be a vendor group, addressing vendor issues", according to Hall), although a new charter will extend the group to include four country affiliates on the board of directors. SA`s Linux Professional Association joined Verband of Germany as the second country affiliate to join Linux International on Tuesday.
"Our goal is to support and encourage the support of Linux. For example, when the Linux trademark came under attack, there was a lot of talk among vendors about who could protect it. Linus [Torvalds, Linux`s creator] said that he would own the trademark, but didn`t want the legal hassles of defending it," says Hall. Hence Linux International`s active involvement in defending trademark issues.
Linux is China`s selected operating system of choice.
Jon "Maddog" Hall, executive director and president, Linux International
Hall says Linux has been gaining support among non-US governments. "If China can migrate people off Windows and onto Linux, and if they can develop an office pack that supports Mandarin, that would be very good for them."
Two Mandarin versions of Linux are currently under development: Bluepoint and Redflag Linux. "Linux is China`s selected operating system of choice," says Hall.
[VIDEO]He says the French and German military have also selected Linux as their preferred platform. "For the military it makes more sense. In a time of war you need an OS that people don`t only know how to use, but also how to change."
Linux is also making inroads into the private commercial world. "Almost every company today in the US is using Linux in some way, shape and form," he says. "There are some companies that have standardised on Linux.
"It has moved well beyond [being a hobbyists` OS] in the US and many other countries. IBM, Compaq and other vendors have embraced Linux.
[VIDEO]"The big difference between Linux and other operating systems is that you don`t have to spend millions a year keeping up with the competition and upgrading. Open source software allows you to raise the bar for developers." He says that instead of reinventing the wheel - or in this case the TCP/IP stack - engineers can work on new, innovative software.
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