Rex Ballard - Director of Electronic Distribution
	http://cnj.digex.net/~rballard

On Thu, 31 Oct 1996, Daniel P Dern wrote:

> Rex Ballard  remarks:
> > Any indication of a complimentary operating system? (Red Hat or Slackware
> > Linux?)
> > 
> > If Microsoft is going to throw in complimentary browsers and servers with
> > NT 4.0, it only seems right that Netscape should throw in "Complimentary"
> > Operating Systems with Navigator 4.0!!
> 
> 
> Arguably Caldera fits this description -- they're offering a bunch of desktop
> and network clients and servers, which includes Navigator...built on
> top of a productized implementation of Red Hat LINUX, also included on
> the CD.  At like 100$ or so for the basic single-seat copy, that's
> close to free, given the stuff thrown in.

I just loaded RedHat Version 4.0.  It actually contains two commercial
software packages.  The Metro-X and the RedBaron RSA enabled browser.
In effect, you pay $49 for the Browser/X Server and get the rest of the
operating system under GPL.  Someone even contributed a layout that looks
much like Windows-95 (Better actually, you also get 16 "virtual screens",
a hierarchy of icons, and the ability to use the traditional right-click.

It runs pretty hot on a 486dx4/75 with 8 meg of ram and 250meg partition
with a cheap Trident 8900C video card.  Faster than the Pentium-90 at work
running Windows-95.

> The upcoming release of Caldera, BTW according to a quick schmooze with
> them at one of the shows I was at recently, will include (depending on
> which version you buy -- total cost may be more like a few hundred $):
> 
> o Sun WABI (Windows Application Binary Interface), lets you run
>   Windoze programs over Linux

This will be a hot product.  I frequently have to dual-boot back to
windoze to use things like Quicken, Prodigy, or PowerBuilder.  I
understand that WABI will work with this new Red Hat Kernal (linux 2.0)

> o DR DOS
There is a good dos emulator.  The great thing is that it lets you run
multiple dos windows under X11.  Try that with Windows 3.1!

> o Netware server

This Red Hat package seems to run Netware, Appletalk, TCP/IP with SMB and
NFS file server stacks.

> and the usual Caldera goodies...with a Win95 WABI on the way, with luck,
> as well.

Applix is offering the same office automation package they offer for Sun,
IBM RS/6000, and HP for Linux.  It should be pretty hot with an S3
accellerator.

> You can bet I'll be trying this puppy out.  Wheeha!

I have recommended Linux to several people.  Nearly everyone who actually
gets either Slackware or Red Hat working under X/11 has developed a rather
rabid disdain for Windows, including 95 and NT.  The most common problems
have been the use of unusual Drives (Soundblaster workalikes that were
incompatible with Linux Drivers, Ethernet cards that were supposed to act
like NE-2000s but only with their drivers, and Video and SCSI Cards that
had only been on the market for a few months).

There are certain capabilities available under Linux/Unix that aren't
available under NT.  Things like functioning effectively as a full
function Internet/Intranet Server.  This makes possible certain features
like real-time handling of Mail, HTTP requests, File Access, and content
handling.  It also makes possible new real-time features such as real-time
handling of satellite feeds such as Quotron & Mainstream, real-time news
broadcast/delivery, real-time filtering of content, paging and remote
messaging, and remote management amd maintenence without creating a huge
security risk.

The biggest feature of course, is the 10 gigabytes of source code that was
developed for Sun, IBM, VAX, HP/Apollo, and all of the other Unix systems
running under BSD, System V, and Mach/OSF.  All of this software can be
easily ported to Linux.  Most of it is available in CD-Rom sets from
Infomagic, Walnut Creek, and other Linux Vendors.

Linux has also captured the hearts of the "Hacker" (Hobbiest/Wiz-Kid
superprogrammer) because a fully funtional system costs under $1000
and you have the huge pool of source code and development languages.

Linux hackers are starting to discover the rapid application development
tools such as TCL/TK, PERL, Lex, Yacc/Bison, and Python.  Programs that
used to take months can be whipped up in a few days.

Combining tools like thes with presentation protocols like TeX, HTML,
SGML, and Groff make it possible to create flashy displays and reports
using existing information, minimal intervention, and real-time
redistribution.

More important, Linux is an Evolutionary rather than Revolutionary
environent.  Quarterly Updates are the norm, and monthly updates are
available via the internet.  Linux is completely redefining the entire
concept of Operating System/Applications, making previously unimaginable
capabilities seem trivial.

> Daniel Dern (ddern@world.std.com, http://www.dern.com) 
>   Internet analyst,  author, columnist & speaker 
>   (617) 969-7947 FAX: (617) 969-7949 
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