Linux Insider has a short article detailing how various government labs and agencies have used Linux as the backbone of various projects: some truly skunkworks, and some large and high-profile. Projects range from early clustering work at Goddard to the FBI’s Emergency Response Network.
For most server work, I don’t know why you wouldn’t. We saw the writing on the wall in ’97 regarding OS/2 and promptly ( and easily) ported.
Now OpenSolaris is almost here and we’ve got two kickass kernels. Free is good. Value added is even better
Because you’re threatening Initech’s business model.
Didn’t you get the “No Open Source!” memo?
Here, let me get you a copy…
is no more than a collection of old news bits. The ERN newsbite is over a year old.
that they’re not using BSD software instead.
I mean, it would have made more sense for them to use something that was already initially built using government funding (DARPA project), was initially built in U.S. educational and research institutions (U.C. Berkeley), is mature, highly stable, and open (free) in almost every sense of the word.
That’s just my opinion.
On the bright side of things, it’s great that they’re using open software instead of closed software. It just always seemed wrong that the government would use our tax money to make companies richer rather than use our tax money for for things that we can all benefit from, such as developing more open source software.
Now OpenSolaris is almost here and we’ve got two kickass kernels.
More, if you consider the BSD kernels. They may not be binary-compatible with Linux, but it’s easy to recompile in most cases.
Now if only there was as much use of Linux + FOSS in the Canadian government…
Interesting factoid – here at UC Berkeley, very, very few people use a BSD. All the main servers are solaris, a few student-run-but-still-official are linux, and maybe one or two are free|net|open bsd. LBL (Lawrence Berkeley Labs) might be a different case, but I’m not sure completely.
On the bright side of things, it’s great that they’re using open software instead of closed software.
I expect my tax money to placed on the best software solution available to get the job done…open or closed.
It just always seemed wrong that the government would use our tax money to make companies richer rather than use our tax money for for things that we can all benefit from, such as developing more open source software.
Sorry but that is an ignorant comment considering that any significant advances in government derived software would most likely be kept closed source for variou reasons. You wouldn’t want the source code of the ERN system floating around the internet.
Second a huge portion of the private sector business is in government contracts. Which is a significant portion of the US economy(i.e. Tax money being re-cycled back to hard working Americans.
Is probably because they have computer people working in those agencies that are pushing for it.
So it may not be based on the best operating system.
But BSD is not good for multiprocessing which was one of the needs. Maybe thats changing.
“Interesting factoid – here at UC Berkeley, very, very few people use a BSD. All the main servers are solaris, a few student-run-but-still-official are linux, and maybe one or two are free|net|open bsd. LBL (Lawrence Berkeley Labs) might be a different case, but I’m not sure completely.”
That’s kind of depressing. Especially considering IMcKusick still lives right off campus, doesn’t he?
Second a huge portion of the private sector business is in government contracts. Which is a significant portion of the US economy(i.e. Tax money being re-cycled back to hard working Americans.
You are aware that this is inteventionism, i.e. government subsidies to corporations. Some people would call this disguised socialism…
“Tax money being re-cycled back to hard working Americans.”
LOLOLOLOL… more like tax money re-cycled back to rich people with connections to government officials.
We know what “hard work” means to this administration… so don’t shovel that BS around here. We aren’t all part owners of Halliburton here.
All I see is the contactors selling systems are using free software and still charging the same for the system.
But, hey! I own HAL stock. Please stop bashing them. I can’t afford to loose any more money on them. By the way, when I was in the oil field they were by far the best company to have on site. Best run, best equipment, best workers.
I am not talking about subsidies i am talking about freely bid contracts.
The problem is that the contract rarely goes to the lowest bidder, or even the most cost/effective one. More often than not, it is awarded through political connections and the like.
It’s even worse in the defense business, where prices are overinflated. Anyone remembers those 150$ screwdrivers? This isn’t an exception, it’s the rule. Like it or not, the “Pentagon system” is really a disguised form of state interventionism.
Not that this is a bad thing: a completely free market is nice in theory, but in practice (for a variety of reasons, one of them being the continued existence of separate nation-states) you need a dose of government intervention if you don’t want your economy to collapse.
The problem is that the contract rarely goes to the lowest bidder, or even the most cost/effective one. More often than not, it is awarded through political connections and the like.
I haven’t seen evidence to support this. I am sure it happens from time to time however i don’t think it is as commonplace as most think.
It’s even worse in the defense business, where prices are overinflated. Anyone remembers those 150$ screwdrivers? This isn’t an exception, it’s the rule. Like it or not, the “Pentagon system” is really a disguised form of state interventionism.
I will respectively disagree i know for a fact in dealing with US ARMY contracting anything over $1 Million dollars(if i remember right) needs congressional approval or scrutiny.
Not that this is a bad thing: a completely free market is nice in theory, but in practice (for a variety of reasons, one of them being the continued existence of separate nation-states) you need a dose of government intervention if you don’t want your economy to collapse.
I agree nothing perfect of course but influx of government funds legally for services that otherwise would be too expensive for said government to provide is generall a good idea. I doubt a Uncle SAM OS would go over well.
ROFLMAO
More, if you consider the BSD kernels. They may not be binary-compatible with Linux, but it’s easy to recompile in most cases
FreeBSD is binary compatible with Linux. Check the FreeBSD Manual. It even has instructions for installing certain software such as Oracle, which I assume is the Linux version.
I haven’t seen evidence to support this.
Granted, that evidence is hard to come by as the decisions as to why a contractor is chosen or not are not made public.
However, common wisdom tells us that wherever there’s money and little public scrutiny, this kind of thing is bound to happen.
I will respectively disagree i know for a fact in dealing with US ARMY contracting anything over $1 Million dollars(if i remember right) needs congressional approval or scrutiny.
Well, as you pointed out, anything below $1,000,000 isn’t scrutinized. This is where the abuse takes place.
The problem is also that, with no campaign financing laws, it’s pretty easy to “buy” congressmen if you have lots of money to spare.
I agree nothing perfect of course but influx of government funds legally for services that otherwise would be too expensive for said government to provide is generall a good idea. I doubt a Uncle SAM OS would go over well.
Not only that but it may be necessary to artificially support flagging sectors of the economy to avoid job losses. Ideally, the idea is to fund sectors of the economy enough that they will strenghten themselves and no longer require govt. intervention. However, in reality this doesn’t always happen. Agriculture is a textbook example of this…not to mention subsidies to the powerful sugar industry (who happen to be friendly with politicians on both sides of the aisle, though they are traditionally closer to Republicans).
We are veering off-topic, though. I must say it is nice to discuss this without it degenerating into a flame war…
We are veering off-topic, though. I must say it is nice to discuss this without it degenerating into a flame war…
I wrote this before reading AQ’s post…oh well, it was nice while it lasted! 🙂
FreeBSD is binary compatible with Linux. Check the FreeBSD Manual. It even has instructions for installing certain software such as Oracle, which I assume is the Linux version.
Cool, I did not know that. Thanks for the tip!
“Because we use the crown jewels of open source Latest News about open source, we can deliver fast, easy, cost-effective technology that has successfully addressed many of the information-sharing challenges that are obstacles to homeland security,” Balderas said.”
Better make certain the YRO section of a certain website doesn’t see the above, else it’ll send them spinning.
Q. Isn’t Linux Insider just an anti-Linux sham site?
A. Why, …
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=6933
…yes…
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=10386
…it…
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=7339
…is;
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=4829
With this kind of site, why read anything they write — pro or con?
Red Hat, seems it’s the only distro that is worth. why not slackware or mandriva they are also linux distros are they not? this clearly proves that linux will go as for as red hat takes it and what if red hat gets bought out for instance by micorsoft. what other distro can carry red hat’s dish?
more correct
“I will respectively disagree i know for a fact in dealing with US ARMY contracting anything over $1 Million dollars(if i remember right) needs congressional approval or scrutiny.
Yes! Congress where politicians are bought and sold by corporations like pork belly futures !
@a nun, he moos
The problem is also that, with no campaign financing laws, it’s pretty easy to “buy” congressmen if you have lots of money to spare.
@Chemicalscum
Yes! Congress where politicians are bought and sold by corporations like pork belly futures !
I agree this is huge problem Lobbyists buy votes all the time it is sickening. However i reject the often spouted “Republicans are for big corporations” party line. So what if they are? With the caveat that they are not granted wholesale license to polute the environment and blatantly screw people over(not talking about aggressive business tactics) why not lift some of the government oppression off their backs? by reducing taxes, incentives to do business in parts of the country where they otherwise would not do business? A larger profit margin stimulates businesses to grow and expand their markets creating more jobs(simplistic but acturate) and reduces the prices of products. The best example is the state i live in Colorado has insane road use taxes. Hence the reason there are very few Trucking/Bus companies based in this state. Jobs for tax paying state citizens that went elsewhere.
We are veering off-topic, though. I must say it is nice to discuss this without it degenerating into a flame war…
I agree its nice to speak with adults in a respectful fashion. OSNews tries to seperate the politics from alot of the Technology topics but they are enterwined and worth discussing.