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Linux Founder Chides Rivals

Sun and Microsoft may talk about open-source, but action speaks louder, Torvalds observes.

Ed Scannell, InfoWorld Electric

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In a question-and-answer session here at Internet World Wednesday, Linux inventor Linus Torvalds chided competitors Microsoft and Sun Microsystems.

Sun's recent half-step towards making its Solaris operating system open-source will not be effective, Torvalds says.

"I don't think the Sun common licensing [announcement] will work but I am glad to see it happen," Torvalds says.

When vendors open their source code, they should do so without any of the restrictions or conditions such as what Sun placed on its Solaris operating system, Torvalds adds.

"A window is not open just because you can see through it," Torvalds says. He contends that code is not truly open unless developers and users can manipulate it "without someone else controlling them."

Microsoft has hinted that it might make some of its products open-source. Torvalds says he would like to see it happen but is not hopeful about such a prospect.

"Talk is cheap," Torvalds says. "It is a fairly theoretical question at this point, because I don't think it is likely. But I hope it happens."

Developers are not guaranteed success just because they adopt an open-source strategy against competitors who have not, Torvalds cautions.

"People think just because it is open-source, the result is going to be automatically better. Not true. You have to lead it in the right directions to succeed. Open source is not the answer to world hunger," Torvalds says.

As one example, Torvalds points to Netscape Communication's Mozilla. The open-source Java-based browser held some promise but has failed to attract many developers.

But more business users and developers are beginning to understand and see the value of the Linux technology and business model, Torvalds adds.

"A lot of business people I talk to realize the Linux way of doing business is not that strange after all," Torvalds says. "Just 18 months ago, open source was a dirty word."

For more IT analysis and commentary on emerging technologies, visit InfoWorld.com. Story copyright © 2007 InfoWorld Media Group. All rights reserved.

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