[552] in linux-announce channel archive
COMMERCIAL/ARTICLE: The Linux Revolution - In the News
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lars Wirzenius)
Mon May 8 11:34:28 1995
Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 14:00:53 +0300
From: Lars Wirzenius <wirzeniu@cc.helsinki.fi>
To: linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi, linux-announce@vger.rutgers.edu
X-Mn-Key: announce
Subject: COMMERCIAL/ARTICLE: The Linux Revolution - In the News
From: Mark Bolzern <mark@gcs.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
Keywords: commercial, article, newspapers, Linux
Organization: ?
Approved: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov (Lars Wirzenius)
Followup-to: comp.os.linux.misc
References:
Linux, The revolution continues.
If you do not know about Linux you need to read this
If you do know about Linux, this will fill in some of the gaps for you,
and I hope that you will read it.
What The industry Press is saying:
Unix Review, Dec 1994; Award: "Outstanding Product of 1994".
Unix Review, Mar 1995; Linux Roars on! "Join the trend of commercial
support for Linux"
Byte, Sept 1994; "A truly robust Unix clone" with "All the features of
commercial versions".
InfoWorld, Sept 5, 1994; "Reportedly the best Unix around for Intel
Processors. Just ask any of the several hundred thousand Linux users", "We
are amazed to find how many features and components are included."
Dr. Dobbs Journal, May 1994; "Linux, a widely popular 32 bit protected mode,
preemptive multitasking operating system that runs on 386 PCs" and "Linux
supports an unlimited number of concurrent users, each application runs in
it's own protected address space, greatly reducing the chance of system
crashes brought on by ill-behaved applications"
PC-Week, April 11, 1994; "Linux is a complete Posix-compatible operating
system with the X-Window System, good development tools, and complete TCP/IP
networking. We've been pounding on it for almost a year, and it is
invaluable as the platform for our internal World-Wide Web, FTP, and X-Window
host server" April 18, 1994; "Linux is a useful beast", May 9, 1994; "Poised
to make a commercial splash", Dec 26, 1994; said Linux has "Freely available
source code, high stability, and growing commercial support."
Data Based Advisor Magazine, Nov 1994; said "A fabulous way for you to
further educate yourself on Unix", and "Very well supported on the Internet"
Bill Gates of Microsoft, says that "Windows NT will be" (note future tense)
"a better Unix than Unix." This is what Linux already is!
Ray Noorda of Novell, says "Most major organizations plan on rightsizing
their mission-critical applications to UNIX within the next three to four
years". He is also funding a major Linux project.
DataBased Advisor, June 1994; "FlagShip stands out as the only system able to
port database applications written in a high level database language to
different operating environments without major sacrifices"
---------------
Article written for, and committed to by several various Magazines
including the "X Advisor", SOFTWARE Magazine and others. Also bears
simularity to a Guest editorial recently done for the "Linux Journal"
So where did Linux come from, and what is Linux good for?
Unfortunately space does not allow me to do the subject justice, but
this article should still be very beneficial to any computer
professional who reads it. First a little history:
Unix offers what NT and OS/2 have been promising for years, but may
not deliver in a truly usable form for some time yet. There are
almost twice as many Unix systems installed as Netware and NT put
together (Source: IDC) and growing faster.
Unix has not been popular on PCs because only recently have PCs truly
been powerful enough to support an Operating System with the power of
Unix. NT actually requires more horsepower than Unix does, while
doing less. The year of Unix has finally come. The year of the LAN
came and went. But which year was it? The future is not DOS .vs.
Unix, or Windows .vs. Unix, but rather Dos+Windows+Unix. Unix makes a
great server for MS-Windows machines. At the official introduction of
NT, Bill Gates said that "NT WILL be a better Unix than Unix"... To
do this, NT must conform to the same international standards as Unix
does, and in the process.... become just another proprietary version
of Unix. Don't wait for Microsoft....learn Unix now.
Don't take my word for it, take a look in the help wanted section of
your local newspaper. Employers are requiring familiarity with the
following: Unix, AIX, HP/UX, OSF/1, SCO, Solaris, SunOS, DG/UX, Novell
UnixWare, C, C++, TCP/IP, NFS, and X-Windows, etc. In my local
newspapers (Denver), most ads ask for one or more of these things.
Unix's acceptance problem is mostly because every vendor of Unix has
given it their own name and a few minor changes. Unix vendors
proceeded to advertise their variant as different and better rather
than promoting a unified front. Among the 100 or so versions of Unix,
there are only three major versions. Even these major versions are so
alike from a user perspective that moving from one to the other is
rather trivial. About 6 major names sell over 95% of the Unix that is
installed, and only a few commands and the hidden internals really
differ.
Unix runs admirably on machines that choke when presented with Windows
NT or OS/2. Several PC Unix do fine on a 386 with 4MB of RAM, and
120MB of Hard disk, Graphical PC Unix requires a 486 and 340MB Hard
Disk.
There is a fabulous way for you to try Unix. Linux is a complete Unix
clone, created entirely on the Internet. It is freely distributable,
and copyable. Linux runs on any 386 or greater PC that MS-Windows
will run on. Linux has all the advanced features you'd expect from
Unix including what you need for an Internet connection, Development
tools, and X-Windows. Linux will even co-exist with MS-Windows, DOS,
OS/2, or NT on the same machine, or in the same network.
You can get Linux inexpensively from many sources. Pricing varies
from free for the downloading to as much as $100 for CD-ROM. I think
Unix & Linux MAY yet blow away NT. Linux is definitely the choice of
many thousands of technical people who have tried it, prefer
democracy, and don't care to live in a Microsoft dictated world.
It is estimated that Linux already sells as many copies every month,
as all other Unix variants put together.
I feel that Linux will prove over the next 5 years to be among
operating systems, as the PC revolution was to hardware; the one
common standard that everyone has access to. Major players such as
DEC are already investing money in this notion with 2 separate porting
projects to bring Linux to DEC Alpha. There are also projects
underway for PowerPC, Motorola, SPARC, HP/Precision, MIPS and other
chip architectures.
So why another new operating system when there are already so many
others? Is Linux just another Unix? Aren't there already too many?
Of course there are, and that is why we need one with the power to
replace the others. From many perspectives that is Linux. Linux is
about 4 years old in name (When Linus Torvalds released his kernel
under the GNU license onto the Internet), but is much older in fact
and concept. Long before Linus Torvalds was involved, a generation
ago, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) created the GNU License.
It worked like this. Unix originally was delivered with source code
to schools, and those that could afford a license. Unix is extremely
modular, just like a child's lego toy, you can take out one color
block and replace it with another. Over the years, as various vendors
of Unix delivered buggy or feature poor Unix components, techies were
caught between users that "just wanted it to work" and vendors who
could not/would not repair/enhance various things. The result was that a
techie would re-write that component (Lego Block) and then deliver under
the GNU license with source code to the Free Software Foundation, who also
had projects of their own going. These components would then be available
to anyone else that needed them. Over a generation, virtually every
part of Unix was reproduced in bug free, and feature enhanced
components. All that was missing was a kernel and some administrative
tools. Everyone had been sharing these components on the Internet,
and millions of people used GNU software and utilities. When Linus
Torvalds released his kernel to the net it was like setting a match to
dry leaves, creating an entirely new and completely open operating
system overnight. Administrative tools were added, and the result?
LINUX. Linux carries forward the spirit of Unix better than UNIX itself.
There are now millions of Linux users in all walks of life and all
areas of computing. Linux can be considered "Unix: The Next
Generation" for both this reason, and the fact that it was developed
in the braintrust of the Internet, which itself was primarily created
on Unix systems. Bill Gates at Microsoft says "NT will be a better
Unix than Unix", and you can find out just how good that is NOW. Ray
Noorda of Novell is funding a major Linux project. The news is full
of it. You owe it to yourself to try Linux. Buy my distribution, buy
someone else', or if you have easy and cheap Internet access pull it.
But don't put it off, try it NOW.
What it is good for? Here is a short list of typical commercial uses
for Linux: Personal Internet access workstation, WorldWide Web
Server, Usenet News Server, Email server or router, Network gateway,
Network Bridge, PC LAN Server, Personal Unix or C or other language
programming workstation, Commercial Development Platform. X-Windows
Client or Server, Internet Firewall, Learning Unix, Set up a small
Internet provider site, and more. Additionally Linux is an
inexpensive multi-user system which a VAR can sell, and be able to
support well because full source code is available. It is possible to
for Linux from the authors themselves on the Internet News groups.
The many benefits and uses of Linux are truly mind boggling.
So is Linux "Snake Oil"? No, much better, it's for REAL!
Free Software? What about commercial support? Not to worry, a number
of companies, including mine offer this very thing, and will take
responsibility as if we were the authors. That is one reason why
commercial users will want to buy it on CD!
Author's Biography
Mark Bolzern appears often as a guest editorialist in various magazines,
and is a board member of the Linux International organization as well as
President of WorkGroup Solutions, Inc. (WGS). WGS manufactures and
distributes WGS Linux Pro, distributes FlagShip, an advanced application
development system for most common Unix Systems, and other related products.
Mark is also the President and Founder of WGS' owner, 13-year-old General
Computer Services, Inc. (GCS) which is a Consulting, Systems Integrator,
UNIX Development, and CA-Clipper Development house. GCS has been retained
by many major corporations for Mark's advice, and industry predictions.
GCS developed two modules of popular The Champion Accounting Software, and
has published other recognized literary and software works. Mark is a
qualified Systems Administrator on Novell, Lan Manager and on several
versions of UNIX.
--------------
If COMMERCIALS Offend you, please cease reading at this point. Please
note that no attempt was made to sell WGS' own CD or services above this
point. We do of course prefer if you buy ours, because it give us the
resources to continue investing in the Linux community, but we'd rather
you bought anyone's Linux product, than not get into Linux at all.
COMMERCIAL:
WGS is proud to say we have been agressively helping to create the above
recognition, and to help it expand. Helping Linux International with
Trade Shows, and other issues, making sure press people know what Linux is,
and generally helping to expand the market for everyone.
Now we are asking something of you. Please place an order if you
feel that what we have to offer can be of benefit to you. If not,
then good luck, whatever you do, and your verbal support would
be appreciated.
Here is the Menu.
Announcing WGS Linux Pro version 2.2
All Items below get you a WGS Linux Pro T-Shirt when you return your
product registration.
WGS Linux Pro CD Rom, includes online docs, $19.95
The main WGS Linux Pro CD includes everything you get on other Linux CDs,
but we believe that the latest is not necessarily the greatest. What gets
included on our CD must pass our testing, and also not get substantial
complaints on the Usenet Newsgroups for some time. This is commercially
viable, tested and supportable software.
WGS Linux Pro 4 CD Set, $29.95
The Stable WGS Linux Pro CD, AND For those that want the absolute latest,
here it is. 3 Additional CDs with the latest pressings. The Distribution
CD with the latest of virtually every Linux distribution known to man.
The Sunsite CD, and the TSX-11 CD with the contents of the two largest Linux
FTP sites in the USA. These have the new 1.2X kernals, and the Slackware
2.X on them, among everything else. Sometimes it is necessary to get
various drivers and things off the supplementary CDs for particular hardware.
The Default installation is the stable stuff. We figure If you know enough
to use the optional items, then you know enough not to get yourself into
trouble with the "Latest". If you'd rather play safe, we give you the
opportunity, and you still have virtually anything you will get on any
CD set.
WGS Linux Pro Compendium, $69
Everything in the prior two choices plus a 1200 page 5 Pound Professionally
printed Manual including all the LDP Documents, Guides and HOWTOS
available for Linux.
WGS Linux Pro T-Shirt only $15
All the above carry the well known FlagShip Applications Development System
"Test Drive" among other product demos.
FlagShip Applications Development System, $199
Top notch commercial software for Linux, This a single user Linux version.
In case you are not yet a Linux user, if you purchase this before May 15th,
we will throw in a free WGS Linux Pro CD & T-Shirt. Feel free to visit
our FTP site for more info. 6 Pound 1200 Page printed manual, Optional $99
There are also two other items of interest to serious commercial users
particularly Support Sensetive corporate entities. Tell your boss about
these!!!
A) For $225 you get the items in the Compendium product above and all
newer versions are sent to you within 2 weeks of the release
automatically via US Mail. This is valid for a period of 12 months
after initial purchase. This includes the standard support for each
item sent.
B) For $399 You get 1 year of Technical Linux Support via Phone & E-Mail
with and unlimited number of contacts for one specific person, and one
specific Machine/Linux installation. Also Included in this are all
benefits of #A above. As with all other options, our liability is
limited to the amount of money that was spent with us.
If you would like to place an order:
I Include/Authorize $9.50 US Postal or UPS Ground shipping & handling
(within US and Canada). US$15 for other countries.
Your Name :___________________________________
Company name :___________________________________
Address :___________________________________
City, State, Zip :___________________________________
Phone number :________________
Fax number :________________
E-Mail ID :___________________________________
Amex/MC/Visa or Check# :_____________________________ Exp. Date:______
Name on card :_________________________________________
signature :_________________________________________
Thank you for your support
Mark Bolzern, Member Board of Directors,
Linux International, President WGS
Virginia H. Lane, Vice President, WGS
==============
Sample of what is Included Software in the WGS Linux Pro Compendium
(Seriously Abbreviated list)
Distributions:
Primary CD: WGS' Tested Stable version of Slackware
Supplemental 3 CD set, Latest versions: SlackWare, SLS, Debian, MCC,
JE distribution, Bogus, Jurix, BSD
Software:
X-Free 86, Wine, DOSemu, Samba, TCP/IP, NFS, PPP, SLIP, OpenWin, Source Code,
DOOM, LILO, ROCAT, DREALM, SVGAFFT, XGROK, Communications software, E-Mail,
Text Editors, C, C++, Pascal, ADA, Fortran, Smalltalk, Lisp, Perl, EMACS,
GDB, Autoconf, Online Documentation, FlagShip Test Drive, much (thousands)
more from awk to zcat, a full listing is well over 10000 lines long.
Supported Hardware:
IDE, EIDE, SCSI, MFM, ESDI, PCMCIA, 386, 486, Pentium, ISA, VESA, EISA, PCI
File Systems supported:
UMSDOS, DOS, OS/2, all standard Linux Filesystems, and many more.
read only double space file systems
live filesystem on CD for running off CD.
Other:
Over 1200 Page printed Manual, Including the Linux Installation Guide,
the Linux Systems Adminstrators Guide, the Network System Administrator's
Guide, the Kernal Hacker's Guide, and lots of HOWTO documents on many
different topics.
Free T-Shirt when product is registered.
Motif is available seperately.
This file is available at ftp.wgs.com under the directory /pub2/wgs/lxsig.ans
and you may fetch it, copy it, and give it to anyone in it's complete
form. If you wish to use extracts, please contact mark@wgs.com
for permission.
--
USA Tel: 303-699-7470 Fax: 303-699-2793
WorkGroup Solutions, Inc. The FlagShip "CA-Clipper and XBase on Unix" People
No Runtime Fees. Info at ftp.wgs.com/pub2/wgs/Filelist OR mail: info@wgs.com
Try WGS Linux Pro! Commercial Linux on CD for $19.95, 4CD Set&1200pg Manual $69
--
Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov
PLEASE remember Keywords: and a short description of the software.
