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Publication Date: November 9, 1998 (Vol. 20, Issue 45)
Copyright © 1998 InfoWorld Media Group Inc.
Sun and OMG put emphasis on open-source technology
By Benjamin Keyser
Linux continues to make headway on both the technical and political fronts as Microsoft, Sun, and the Object Management Group (OMG) weighed in on both sides of the Linux debate last week.
At the end of October, an internal memorandum from Microsoft that has been called the "Halloween Document" was leaked to Eric Raymond, a member of the Open Source Group, an advocate consortium for open-source software.
The document was written by Vinod Valloppillil, a Microsoft employee, and laid out a tactical analysis of Linux and open-source software. The memo concluded that the usual tactics Microsoft employs to defeat competitors -- fear, uncertainty, and doubt -- will not be effective due to a wealth of positive public testimonials about Linux.
Microsoft's willingness to leverage its Windows operating systems clout to defeat open-source software was evident in Valloppillil's memo.
"By extending these [easily accessible, commoditized open-source] protocols and developing new protocols, we can deny entry by open-source software projects into the market," Valloppillil wrote in the memo.
Tom O'Reilly, CEO of O'Reilly and Associates, a technical book publishing company, responded to the Halloween Document in an open letter to Microsoft.
In the letter, O'Reilly exhorted Microsoft to embrace open-source technology as an engine to inspire new products, rather than treating it as a threat.
"Instead of trying to crush open source, you should ... build commercial added-value products on the open platforms," O'Reilly wrote.
The document also revealed that Microsoft is afraid of open source and the threat that Linux could bring to the table.
"Linux has been deployed in mission-critical, commercial environments with an excellent pool of public testimonials. ... Linux outperforms many other Unix [platforms] ... Linux is on track to eventually own the x86 Unix market," the document stated.
Linux also continues to gain ground with technical and development leaders. Both Sun and the OMG threw in their support for Linux last week.
Sun Microsystems announced the release of the Sun JDK 1.2 for Linux. Slated to ship later this month, the new Linux Java development kit (JDK) will support the development of Java-based applications, servlets, and the emerging Enterprise JavaBeans component architecture standard.
The lion's share of the port was accomplished by Linux programming volunteers around the world, but Sun assisted by providing the Java Compatibility Kit to the Linux porting team.
In another win for Linux, the OMG recently made CORBA for Linux available to developers. As a result, implementations of CORBA, called object request brokers (ORBs), will become more available for Linux. Already the Washington University ORB, called TAO, is being sponsored by Boeing, Lucent Technologies, and Motorola.
The Open Source Group is at www.opensource.org. Microsoft Corp., in Redmond, Wash., is at www.microsoft.com. Sun Microsystems Inc., in Santa Clara, Calif., is at www.sun.com. The Object Management Group, in Framingham, Mass., is at www.omg.org. The TAO ORB is at www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/TAO.html.
Linux, Linux everywhere
Recent Linux milestones
* Microsoft sees Linux as a threat and says so in the "Halloween Document."
* Tom O'Reilly tells Microsoft to grow up and compete fairly in an open letter.
* Sun releases the JDK 1.2 for Linux to put Java everywhere.
* The Object Management Group puts CORBA on Linux.
* Washington University builds the TAO ORB.
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