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From: bobh@wasatch.com (Bob Hauck)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Linux thoroughly insulted by Infoworld!
Date: 18 Jan 1995 04:05:39 GMT
Organization: Wasatch Communications
Lines: 82
Message-ID: <3fi42j$qbu@lonepeak.wasatch.com>
References: <950116203411@lambada>
NNTP-Posting-Host: olympus.wasatch.com
X-Newsreader: LA Times for OS/2 [version: 3.3e]
In message <950116203411@lambada> - ed.duomo@lambada.oit.unc.edu ("Mr. Ed")
writes:
>In the columns section of the Jan 16 Infoworld, there is a column
>highly insulting to linux. In it the writer basically says the
>following:
Having just read the article, I think you're overreacting. The
overall tone is actually rather positive. You've gotta read
Petreley regularly to grok his style.
> o linux is really not free
The version the Petreley used wasn't. He bought a commercially-
supported version on CD.
> o linux users are as neurotic as Amiga fans
Well, Linux fans can be pretty committed <g>. Sounds like you
might be the one he's talking about (no offense).
> o linux is difficult to install (their senior systems analyst
> apparently failed to install it)
But after reading the fine documentation, they realized that
they didn't need network card support on the install floppy
because they weren't installing from a network. After that it
found the CD-ROM and installed without problems.
> o linux should be called "underware"!
He was making a funny! It's not quite free/shareware (he bought
a supported version), but it's not quite commercial...it's
underwear! Geez, lighten up. Or read the column more often (it
is often written in a lighthearted way).
I think you're taking the 'underwear' comment much too seriously.
>He then goes on to refer to linux as underware throughout the column
>-- over ten times. The column is also titled something like "Linux
>should be called underware". Underware what? Hanes? Fruit of the loom?
>BVD? How insulting!
>
>What do you think of this?
He mentions in the column that:
- TCP/IP networking was "pretty easy" to set up. Remember that
he's looking at Linux and other Unices in the context of
setting up an Internet gateway. So this is a big plus.
- His 3C509 NIC was supported out of the box by Linux but not
by SCO Unix. Another big plus.
- Color-coded directory listings are nice.
- After another episode of RTFM, X-Windows installed smoothly.
- The install was smoother than he expected for an 'underwear'
product. The only problems were a matter of documentation,
not coding.
Overall I felt it was a positive review. You should have read
the bashing he gave SCO Unix a few weeks back. He said SCO had
a difficult install, poor docs, poor support for his hardware,
and didn't live up to SCO's 'plug and play' promise.
For the record, I run Linux and OS/2 on my personal machine and
Linux on the system from which I'm posting. All I can say is
that Linux must be making a splash if Byte and Infoworld are
reviewing it!
===================================================================
Bob Hauck bobh@wasatch.com
===================================================================