“Cash-strapped universities are striking deals that could
shut down UNIX and Linux servers in academia–and the consequences
aren’t healthy for the Open Source movement.“
“Want to murder a tree? You can hack away at the branches and
leaves, but you probably won’t do much damage. It’s much easier to
simply take out your Bowie knife and cut a ring all the way around
the tree’s base–just deep enough to cut off the flow of sap. Most
of it’s concentrated near the surface, just beneath the bark. No
sap? Dead tree.”
“Now, don’t go out and start slaughtering our tall leafy
friends. I’m making a point here. If Microsoft’s plans for colleges
and universities pan out, the tree-death scenario is precisely
what’s going to happen to UNIX-like operating systems in general
(and Linux in particular).”
“Here’s the argument in a nutshell. As you’ll see, UNIX’s long
reign in the halls of academia nourishes the Open Source
phenomenon. But cash-strapped college and university computing
administrators are cutting deals with Microsoft–and not
surprisingly, the Redmondians are pressuring schools to move their
servers to NT. The likely result? UNIX (and Linux) could well
become an endangered species on campus. Such a development could
cut off the nourishment that’s helping to keep the Open Source
movement alive.”