[rescue] OT: Linux and USB on Intel

[Bill Bradford]

On Sun, Apr 20, 2003 at 12:56:55PM -0700, David Passmore wrote:
> The fact remains that several companies are migrating from big iron to x86
> boxes running Linux, and there are documented cases I could give you URLs
> for, if you like. I could also relate my personal experiences with this
> phenomenon. Though I have no figures to prove it at the moment, it is my
> conjecture and experience that Linux is eroding other UNIXes, *not* Windows,
> and that it is in fact killing the only real hope we have of ridding the
> world of Windows and x86, making Dave McGuire's worst nightmare come true
> (even though he doesn't seem to see it the same way that I do).

Where I work [0], we're seeing Linux replace SGI/IRIX, mostly.  Sure, 
for pure speed, the Linux boxes win [1] on most applications, but I'm
not seeing them win on the cost front, for the things we do [2].

Although, with Redhat now doing their "Enterprise Linux" push, they're
not realizing that they're killing the price-advantage versus Windows.
They want $179 for the "Basic Edition", which includes one year of 
updates - and then another $200/year (I think) for updates after that.

Windows XP Professional, however, is $299, and as far as I know, 
Windows Update is free.

(for "updates" in this sense, I'm talking "patches and fixes", not "upgrades")

RHL ES WS edition is great, because it gives software vendors a baseline and
"fixed version" to tell customers to use.  "our software runs on RHL ES WS"
etc, but they're shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to pricing.

Bill

[0] A subsidiary of a large oil and gas exploration/production company.
[1] A lot of our developers are moving to Linux as their main platform, for 
    speed and other reasons (better use of available hardware, etc)
[2] Dual-Xeon machines with Quadro 900 XGL video cards and dual 20" flat
    panel displays *aint* cheap. 8-)

-- 
bill bradford
mrbill at mrbill.net
austin, texas