[ Thanks to theHippo for this link.
]
“Seemingly overnight, this first name has become nearly as
well-known as the moniker of that other technology celebrity. But
Bill Gates, despite all his billions, will never be Linus Torvalds.
The 29-year-old Finnish creator of the simple yet powerful Linux
operating system exceeds the Gates of myth. Legend may have it that
Gates was a brilliant programmer, but Torvalds is the real thing,
having spun out a tightly written operating system while still in
college. And while a young Gates labeled fellow programmers
“thieves” for copying his mediocre code, the generous Torvalds
freely shared his epiphany with the world. Which man and movement
wins may decide technology’s future.”
“Two years ago, the idea that a technology giant and Microsoft
Corp. ally such as Hewlett-Packard Co. would rush to make its
computers run Linux seemed far-fetched. But by endorsing a
development model that invited the world to improve upon his
original creation and to share those innovations, Torvalds spawned
a revolution. Cynics wondered whether Microsoft’s labeling of Linux
as “serious competition” in the Department of Justice’s (DoJ’s)
case was simply a ploy to ward off charges of monopolistic
practices. But there was more truth to the admonition than
Microsoft let on. Late last year, a Microsoft white paper dubbed
“the Halloween document” was leaked to the press, and its
conclusions may well have haunted Gates.”
“Linux, arguably the best example of the synergy of open source
software (OSS), may not be easily defeated by standard Microsoft
hardball. “Linux and other OSS advocates are making a progressively
more credible argument that OSS is at least as robust–if not
more–than commercial alternatives,” said the paper, written by
Microsoft engineer Vinod Valloppillil. “The ability of the OSS
process to collect and harness the collective IQ of thousands of
individuals across the Internet is simply amazing.”