Re: Informix running on Linux

[Doug McAllister <abcd@bit-net.com>] | | So lighten up and find some free database software to go with Linux. | When you decide to do some SERIOUS development, then maybe you will | spend the money for some serious software. excuse me, can you inform me when Sun plan to release Solaris for X86 that doesn't hog down the machine, that HAS support for the hardware I run and a support contract where I get to talk to the kernel developers, the driver developers and the people in charge of the distributions? not? how about SCO UNIX then? I see. look Doug, the world changes. yesterday people installed Linux because it was free -- today they install it because it is faster, it is more stable, it has a better POSIX develompent environment and because instead of buying costly support deals that won't get you anywhere if you're really in trouble, people follow mailing-lists, USENET and online documentation. I have a free choice of operating systems. I can use whatever operating system I like on machines that cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars. still, I find Linux to be the better platform for my development needs since it allows me to write better software in shorter time. previously I mainly used SunOS 4.1.x, Solaris 2.2-2.4 and IRIX 5.x-6.x. I spent most of my time getting all the software and licenses I needed, then I had to spend time on figuring out how to set the machines up properly. on IRIX that usually meant rewriting the /etc/init.d scripts, plugging a HUGE list of security holes -- and still I had to endure trashed filesystems (due to a buggy daemon) and kernel panics (whenver the NFS server went down). a new SGI in a new environment usually cost me 2 weeks of waiting, reconfiguring and cleaning up. Solaris was not much different. the machine I use for a workstation right now took me 20 minutes to set up. 5 minutes of selecting the software I wanted, 10 minutes to read it off the CD-ROM and install it and 5 minutes to configure. the CPU server took one day to set up and its configuration has not changed since that day. the only time it has been rebooted is for kernel changes or upgrades. of course I use Linux because it saves me money. it saves me days of unnecessary downtime, maintainance, phone calls to get all the right software licenses and costly support deals that never solve the problem when I need it solved anyway. time _I_ can instead spend doing productive work. if a Linux license cost $2000 I would still buy it. then again; if I had to wait for someone to send me the license, or have it expire on me I would probably elect to use something else than Linux. something that wouldn't tell me to take a hike because the license for the compiler has expired. I'm willing to spend money on serious software. there's no question about that. the question is; is the software industry going to overlook Linux just because it doesn't cost any money? Solid <URL:http://www.solidtech.com>; are obviously taking Linux seriously and from what I hear Informix are going to release a Linux version of their database. why shouldn't they? it's a UNIX platform as good as any? -Bj'rn -- Bj'rn Borud <borud@guardian.no> | "The Net interprets censorship <URL:http://www.pvv.unit.no/~borud/>; | as damage and routes around it." UNIX person, one of "them" | - John Gilmore