As editor and shepherd of ChipCenter's Benchtop Engineering and Test-and-Measurement Knowledge Centers, not a week goes by where I'm not treated to a barrage of news about the Linux operating system. To keep pace with Linux developments, I typically check out Gerry Dorman's EE Expert column on ChipCenter, and then review breaking news off the press wire.
From my perspective, it's nothing short of amazing how much Linux news comes from truly big players in the industry. Let me cite just two examples out of literally thousands---one hardware and the other software.
My hardware example is chipmaker and Intel-rival Advanced Micro Devices. Did you know that AMD is offering developers driver support for Linux (as well as Microsoft Windows) for the newest AMD PCNet Ethernet chips?
On the software side, Sun Microsystems and Linux merchant Red Hat are crafting a collaborative product called Forte for Java. Chanting Java's write-once-run-everywhere mantra, Forte for Java is a cross-platform IDE (integrated development environment) that ships with Red Hat's Linux v7.2. Appropriately, the Red Hat/Sun open-source project is called NetBeans.
The Linux rally roster goes on and on, including the likes of Compaq, Silicon Graphics, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, and even Sony (it's promoting Linux on its PlayStation).
Down and Dirty
A report circulating just last week noted that mighty IBM is promoting Linux. How? By painting Penguin graffiti on the sidewalks in downtown San Francisco. Wow. IBM's street corner message is "Peace, Love, and Linux!" Uncustomary? You bet. A good example of the impact of Linux? I think so.
There are also oodles of Linux players in test-and measurement and data acquisition territory too. Ziatech, Ariel, Matrox Graphics, and Metrowerks are just a few company names off the top of my head. Even Windows stalwart National Instruments offers Linux drivers, software, and support tools for its popular test and automation products. You can get a Linux version of the company's flagship LabView package too.
Enter XP
In the middle of this Linux stir, Microsoft enters stage right with Windows XP. As a product stemming from the NT platform, it's ostensibly crash proof. As such, it may very well take its place as a non-realtime operating system that EEs and technical implementers can rely on.
Shedding its Windows 3x, Win95, and Win98 underpinnings, Microsoft's latest spin could be the cat's meow that non-realtime technical users have been waiting for, especially in light of the fact that Windows 98's popularity blanched so dramatically for engineering applications (see ChipCenter feature article "Engineers Define Their Demands: Accurate Hardware and Simple Software, An Annual Report From Keithley Instruments."
In view of the waning popularity of Win98 for engineering applications, the folks in Redmond must be working overtime to ensure that XP releases not only operate reliably, but also work with third-party hardware and software from so many test and data-acq suppliers.
On the flipside of the coin, Linux proponents and sellers aren't letting grass grow under their feet. Many companies and open-source organizations are attempting to make Linux easier to install, more universal in scope, and more stable with respect to near-rampant version distributions.
User Friendliness
One of my associates informs me that Corel's Linux products are nicely polished. He installs them just like Windows applications. My friend likes the familiar Windows-like installation pop-up windows and thermometers that accompany the Install processes.
Samba Team's Samba 2.2.3 is another example of the thrust to run Linux on Windows platforms. The Samba (aka SMB) protocol lets multiple PCs share files and printers. As you'd expect, SMB is freely authorized under the GNU Public License.
Operating systems that support SMB include Windows NT, OS/2, and Linux. Add-on packages are also available for DOS, Windows, VMS, Unix, MVS, and more. Even Apple Macintoshes and some Web browsers now speak SMB.
Programs such as VMware and Win4Lin also let you run Windows applications from within Linux. Texas-based NeTraverse's Win4Lin v3.0 lets a Linux system run Windows programs without additional hardware or special dual boot-up schemes.
NeTraverse offers a server edition that works in a networked environment, with its executables providing centralized management and resource deployment. Win4Lin permits Linux platforms to run popular Microsoft Windows applications at native speeds, while sidestepping those never-ending Redmond upgrades.
Reigning In Changes
The industry Big Boys are also trying to reign in the wild proliferation of Linux versions out there. Since Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, and NEC cooked up the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) a few years ago, others have jumped on the standardization bandwagon.
The race is on to stabilize the myriad hacked versions of Linux stemming from a community of codesmiths ranging from professional programmers to high school kids. OSDL stalwarts now include the likes of Caldera, Dell, Linuxcare, LynuxWorks, SGI, Red Hat, SuSE, TurboLinux, and VA Linux. These companies and others are turning up the standardization heat a notch or two now that XP is here.
The ramification of Microsoft's XP releases, in the face of ever-present news and developments from the Linux public, underscore the perennial question of whether standards help or hinder development of a technology---in this case a widely used non-realtime operating system.
Is XP just another volley in the ongoing clash between Linux and Windows? More importantly, will freely available source code, with a stable kernel certified by OSDL, hasten the day when engineers and developers can enjoy a reliable operating system that supports the same kind of portability that Windows users have come to expect?
Will Linux users finally get the ability to export, import, cut and paste, and swap files and presentations freely between applications just as Windows users (sometimes) do?
Is Linux the answer to Microsoft hegemony, or are we lucky to have a giant software vendor like Microsoft that can release and support mature products on an ongoing basis?
Looking at things from a loftier point of view, do you think standardization is a good thing, or does standardization tend to stifle imaginative engineering and innovation?
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