Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the non-profit Linux Foundation uses Linux for about as long as I have, which is approximately half the time that Linux has been around. I recently talked with Jim on the Linux Foundation LinuxCon ahead, history of Linux, and that may be in store over the next twenty years.
If you look at the history of computing, we see a big established players, dominant in their respective spaces and then slowly fade, and in some cases die. 40 years ago, the calculation was all COMPUTERS and UNIX. Then the era of personal computers and desktop operating systems such as Microsoft Windows ruled the roost — UNIX and mainframes were still around, but did not adapt to the transformation in the nature of computing. In the latter decase we've seen an absolute explosion in mobile computing, Microsoft is still a contender, but there is no doubt that they are slow to respond to the changes in the way people use computing devices.
Linux, on the other hand, is flourishing in all of these platforms. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason for the longevity of Linux is without a doubt its open source roots. Linus Torvalds released Linux under the GNU Public License, allowing people to use it and extend it as needed, if they share their work with the rest of the world.
Zemlin little delves into the meaning of the long-term nature of open source Linux. According to him, he allows self-forming communities arise from scratch their own itches. The work of the Samoformiruûsaâsâ communities, and the cross-pollination between them, leading to unexpected benefits, where work on x explicitly won Y for example work on the Linux kernel power management for embedded devices clearly improved MAINFRAME Linux where power consumption is the initial value of the consideration.
Thus, the interested parties were able to build Linux for all conceivable computing platform: from MAINFRAMES to desktops to embedded inside the telephones for TVs and cars. There can be no incentives for MAINFRAME Linux people working on embedded Linux, but don't have anything specific or Linux development model, which prevents simultaneous development between mulitple platforms.
Zemlin had a lot of ready-made examples of Linux adaptability, all of which ensure its relevance today and in the future. Playing devil's advocate, I proposed Zemlin, Linux was largely reactive efforts to respond to the needs and not to their forecast and formation of new solutions. Zemlin was quick to counter that the development of Linux is completely new. One only need to look at the phenomenal work on the market, high-performance computing, to see examples. Linux dominates 90% of the market for HPC and researchers are constantly finding new ways to make Linux excel in this space. The same is true for embedded devices where Linux is the de facto choice.
Linux users are used to joke about "Linux world domination". There are all sorts of clever and ironic poster images of giant Tux the Penguin, looming over the corporate headquarters of Microsoft. These days, Linus Torvalds no longer makes these jokes. According to Zemlin, Linux is the "stop": so much of every day life depends directly or indirectly with Linux. As Zemlin put it, "If you're Microsoft, or RIM, you are using Linux. World domination, really.
It was suggested that the Linux kernel can be a good indicator of coming technologies. The Linux kernel itself gets new features much faster than to provide the various Linux distributions. So what is in the kernel, the kernel will make its way to the main distribution, in a couple of months as suppliers check out these new features with the rest of their stack components. So if you watch the commit of the kernel, you will get a good idea of where he led the bulk of the computing Linux.
Zemlin joked that he expected a number visible to the average of crises will be showcased at this year's LinuxCon. In the end many of the major names in the open source community has literally grown up with Linux. Linux Fund has been working hard to ensure the next generation of innovators are ready to pick up the mantle. This year's LinuxCon features student programs, including scholarships to five lucky winners, allowing students the opportunity to learn methods of ADN design techniques directly from the main lights of the world of open source.
More than just a big group hug to celebrate the achievements of each other's LinuxCon is the ability to continually develop Linux. That could take six months of the mailing list back and forth can be solved in the face with a five minute chat. People you can meet like-minded developers working on similar issues to accelerate the solution of problems, exchange of experience and improve the overall state of the Linux community, which is every bit as important as the work of that community.
I'll be at LinuxCon this year, speaking with the developers and managers alike about the past, present and future of Linux. Also I will be participating in the media bar, where other journalists and bloggers will share their perspective on the changing nature of media coverage of Linux over the years.
If you're out there — or simply live in Vancouver — send an email to scottm@techcrunch.com, let me know. I love to communicate with you.
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