IBM Unveils Clustered NAS Storage using Open Source Tech...

In IBM's tradition of using, packaging and promoting Open Source this week I came across an article on the Enterprise Storage Forum about their latest version of the Scale Out Network Attached Storage architecture.    The system can handle a large number of files and disk space.  From the Article, "IBM said its new Scale Out Network Attached Storage (SONAS) offering can scale both capacity and performance while providing parallel access to data and a global name space that can manage billions of files and up to 14.4 petabytes of capacity." 

Later on in the article they describe the technology which includes Samba and Linux.  IBM repackages, develops patches for and promotes a considerable number of Open Source packages like the Apache Web Server(IHS).   They also dedicate a considerable amount of development resources to various other packages.  Nice to see them keeping up the support and promotion.

California says yes to Open Source Software...

The State of California has finally said that it's OK to use Open Source Software on goverment systems.  Really, how is it that the home of Silicon Valley just now figured out that Open Source is OK?  You really would have thought that they would have been first right?  The author in the linked to article does a great job of explaining what you should think about when making an Open Source Policy.  He has some great suggestions. 

So do you want your state and local government using Open Source Software?

A great real world FLOSS success story....

I came across this awesome example of why Open Source Software is AWESOME.  The user was having problems between a library he was using and a vendor.  The vendors server was responding to his requests incorrectly.  The library was actually doing everything correctly.  So check out how it played out.

If Linux just did <blank> it would be ready for Prime Time

While surfing around looking for stories I came across this article on The ERACC Web Log.  The story is talking about how to many authors are writing articles about how Linux needs to just solve <insert thing that doesn't work to their expectation> and it will be ready for prime time.  He makes a lot of good points in the article about how very often these "issues" preventing Linux from taking over has little to do with the topics in most articles.

One of the next links I clicked on happen to be a great example of the problem he points out in a recent article found here on the Tom's Hardware Website.  The article is written by an ex-Microsfot Employee and converted closed source programmer by the name of Keith Curtis.  He thinks the reason Linux isn't ready for Prime Time becuase Linux is missing hardware drivers.  His real gripe is with the hardware makers not the linux community for most of the article.  What's obvious from the article is that he rarely, if ever, builds a system from scratch and then try to install Windows of any version on that machine.  If he did he would realize that the reality is that just because a driver is available doesn't mean it works as advertised.   

I recently purchased a new Dell computer for my wife.  When I went to add her new computer to our LAN the older Linksys Wireless G network card that I had in her previous computer was not recognized by Windows 7.  I had to login to a different computer and grab the Windows Vista driver, because there were no Windows 7 drivers.  This got the machine connected to the internet.  I solved the problem but had it been most of my non-technical friends and family they would have been unable to use the wireless network.  So since Cisco doesn't offer drivers for Windows 7 then why are we amazed when they don't offer them for Linux?  

No OS is perfect and the Linux is no exception.  People seem to be forgetting that companies like IBM, Sun and HP have spent more of their lives as companies running on proprietary hardware with almost no support for third party hardware.  They built successful and profitable Unix based products without good driver support from vendors.

Are you facing Linux and FLOSS Resistance? Let us Help....

Does your company have a strong Linux Presence?  What about other Open Source Tools like Apache, MySQL, Tomcat, or any of the Open Source Wiki's?  If not then why not? 

If you have ever asked people these questions what was the response?  What amazes me is how often Corporations are paralyzed with fear around just a few issues when it comes to FLOSS.  In this weeks article we are going to try to teach everyone how to combat one of the most common arguments we have heard against FLOSS.  We would like to write several articles explaining how we defuse or debunk most of these complaints, whines and irrational reasons against FLOSS. With your help and your feedback we will write follow-ups to this article addressing other common anti-patterns for Open Source and how we would approach countering them. 

So please leave us a comment here telling us what else to discuss.