While at the HP Technology Forum 2010, a particular breakout session stood out in that it was all about Linux. In fact, I’ve stolen the title of the presentation and made it the name of this article. Bdale Garbee, a very comprehensive and impressive individual (also the HP Open Source & Linux Chief Technologist), gave a talk on the basics of Linux and HP’s involvement in it.
He outlined the community development model (in his words: “no one company in charge; a range of contributors with varied interests, abilities, and motivations”) and the freedom of choice (“users have flexibility in how they acquire support for open source technology; any user can become a developer or pay someone to develop or support… on their behalf; if ‘upstream’ ever behaves unacceptably, developers have the power to ‘fork'”). He said that, to profit while maintaining the openness of open source, HP needs to add unique value that customers want to pay for.Obviously HP has embraced the open-source model as far as being profitable goes– so many aspects of IT live off of it. Whether they like it or not, just about any company in the IT field has had to deal with open source; I personally don’t feel that HP has the attitude of having to deal with open source but rather getting to.
According to Garbee, HP has a somewhat unique approach to open source. HP participates not just by funding projects but truly getting their hands dirty as a direct open source member, collaboratively supporting existing community values and behaviors and developing even more robust enterprise capabilities. HP is especially unique in the open source field in that they have only ever used existing licences: HP has never created its own license. In addition, HP was an early contender in fighting license proliferation, or when pieces of software cannot be combined because their licences are incompatible. Finally, HP combines its efforts with Linux distributions in order to bring the most effective solutions for its customers.
History-wise, HP has a rich relationship with Linux and open source in general. I didn’t know this until I began to research the company’s history, but Hewlett-Packard was actually founded in 1939 in a garage (similar to Google’s beginnings), so HP has been around longer than most technologically-based companies these days, especially ones so publicly known. They were well-rooted when Linux first became viable, and they were one of the earliest and widespread contributors to its cause. HP’s work with open source includes being a leader in the Eclipse Development Environment, running a dedicated open source and Linux R&D lab, being a key proponent in the OpenSSI project, extensively supporting SAMBA and Apache, and helping to lead and maintain Debain; HP still actively supports and works with open source today.
On a legal note, since HP has been so involved with open source, HP’s legal staff has had to become at least generally familiar with the collaboration processes required for open source and commercial software to mesh. Garbee said that HP recognized very early “the need for an explicit internal governance process to ensure intersections between proprietary development and open source were consciously managed… today, all HP commercial attorneys participate in reviews!” Also, HP’s open source legal structure has been so successful that the company has worked with various other large companies to help establish their own internal governance policies and practices.
Garbee also mentioned the now-dead SCO scuffle. HP was the first entity to offer an indemnification program against any risks associated with the danger of SCO winning its temper tantrum. He also mentioned that now that the SCO lawsuits are out of the way, “Linux has emerged from this attack much stronger than before”, and he invited anyone else to attack Linux because it would only make it stronger (and– I’m adding this of my own accord– bring to life more tech-humor; we’ll just say that “they’re pulling an SCO”).
“HP is absolutely committed to open source”. Garbee shares some statistics to back up this claim:
- Over 6,500 HP service employees to implement and support Linux and open sstyle=”width:512px;height:284px;border:px;”ource worldwide
- Over 3,000 open source software projects initiated
- Over 2,500 HP developers focused on open source
- Over 1,200 open source printer drivers provided
Finally, at the close of the session that Bdale Garbee was conducting, the topic altered slightly towards HP’s recent acquisition of various companies and who would be next. Garbee seemed to know about these plans but was unwilling to elaborate. However, after some coaxing and guessing from the crowd, he did say that Novell and many others were in “interesting situations”, that there have been some “interesting conversations”, and that there are a “rich range of possible futures” for the company; as for which future HP may pursue, though, he “couldn’t talk about”. Vague, yes, but interesting.
Very interesting.
apple has a small presence in a desktop os space but they play a critical role in influencing the future of desktop computing. Last time i heard apple has somewhere around 7% in US market only and around 3% world wide.
linux ( some call it GNU/linux 🙂 ) is starting to and will do the same thing. I doubt linux will get 5% market share anytime soon and anybody who is holding their breath waiting for this to happen is doing nothing but looking for untimely death.
Linux will most likely have a low market share numbers for a foreseeable future but will play a critical role in advancing ideas that carry it forward and those ideas will play a critical role in shaping the present and future computing world.
That comes only after their huge success with iPod and cousins gadgets that come after, iPhone the star of them all from a strategic point of view. And they were running the show very well until they become so paranoid. Now they are playing “with us or against us” with everybody else, even with developers of their platform. It never ends well. I hope they will correct their route.
I don’t have a crystal ball, but uncountable times people quoted “market shifting” to devices like iPhone and *droid to paint how the market for applications and internet interaction may be totally different in very few years. And this will drag a slow, but sure changing on desktop too. And you don’t have to be a seer to see this coming.
Well, I did not even touch the fact that governments and big companies are only now migrating to linux to explain how it, and Apple, are well positioned to take market share from Microsoft, even though Microsoft has finally a good product on their hands. Microsoft needs to success on smartphones or their grip on computing will decrease at a faster pace than they would like.
Why do people always talk about desktops? Linux is huge in the server market, and the server market is bigger than the desktop market. Guess who’s huge in the server market? HP. Which is why HP are so keen to support Linux. In fact they’d be insane not to!
HP supports Debian in addition to Red Hat and Suse to the point that they provide there server “value add” software in Debian native packages. That was unique among the big three server brands when I last looked.
They probably talk about desktops, because that’s what they use. If you don’t maintain servers are actively follow what’s going on with them, you aren’t likely to think about them much or necessarily be aware what their situation is. The desktop is what most people use and care about.
But it’s definitely true that Linux is big in the server and embedded market, so how much it’s used for desktops isn’t really all that great a measure of how much it’s used.
LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you gotta be kidding!!!!
can u run linux on a superdome?? aka what to do with existing customers….
what a JOKE
Probably a lot more easily than Windows. Esoteric display hardware seems to be a Linux specialty.
Did you know that the MPlayer video player comes with built-in output drivers for things like Project Blinkenlights? (Installation art which turns office buildings into giant pixel grids) …or aalib and libcaca? (Real-time rendering of video to ASCII art)
sorry pal I didnt get it.. what has ASCII output support on mplayer has to do with Superdomes??
Yes you can run Linux on super domes… Now future titanium support is dwindling from red hat and Suse but it’s still supported.
Not sure if it will make it the super dome 2’s but that probably more an issue with the isv’s dropping titanium support in the future. In the mean time however rhel, suse, ubuntu and even debian I’d supported on most if not all proliants.
HP internally allows usnto use Linux versus windows for our daily pcs etc….
Heck most of our software has windows and Linux versions….
Is this a trick question? Yes.
The Superdome 2 currently only supports HP-UX but you can bet Linux support will be available by the end of year. In fact I’d put money on it.
that’s right I was referring to superdome 2, we’ll see if they provide support or not..
anyone has some HP-UX roadmap?? or even an HP-UX to Linux roadmap???
At this point it’s probably up to REdHat since the announced no titanium support for titanium I would think any Linux super dome customers would already be reconsidering the Linux super dome future. That is probably avbig reason why the new 8 socket quad core proliant is in the same family (business critical systems)
Disclaimer : I work for hp
that should be itanium not titanium…. dumb iPAD keeps autocorrecting my “spelling” need iOS4
Less than 10 years ago I was working at HP. The only mantra we heard in our set of trenches was Microsoft, microsoft and Microsoft.
We were all encouraged to get MCSE’d.
I didn’t as I was more FOSS Aligned and already an RHCE.
Guess who got the chop first? Yep, those of us who were Linux supporters.
There was a standing joke with us.
Q: What links HP & Microsoft?
A: The A329M.
Ok, if you aren’t in the UK then this won’t mean much but as fas as we were goaled, we had to sell Windows running on HP/Compaq kit. If we tried to sell HP-UX, VMS, non-Stop or god forbid Linux, we were told don’t be so silly next time.
You try to sell Windows Server 2003 up against IBM Power with LPARS etc running Oracle RAC….
Guess what, no one on my old team made their figures that year.
Don’t even get me started on the 3 to a desk we had to put up with when they closed Worton Grange.
HP is at the top of my ‘Do not buy list’. Closely followed by Dell & Microsoft.
Dell are almost next to HP in Bracknell. MS are almost next to ORacle in Reading. go figure.
I don’t know, maybe you’re right. But I’d really doubt HP wouldn’t push VMS or HP-UX (their own systems after all)…
Don’t underestimate office politics. Microsoft have quite happily sabotaged their own products because of internal politics (Office<->Tablet / WP7<->Kin)
Are you kidding? HP would rather kill off hpux, vms and non-stop….
That market is shrinking by the day…. That was a main driver for super domes to run everything…
Vms, windows, Linux, hpux all run/ran on integrity boxes….
If titanium didn’t have a couple specific features we probably would move more and more off of titanium…
That must have been awkward when someone ordered a PA-RISC machine…
In all seriousness, HP have changed dramatically in the past ten years. My current and previous employers are HP shops and I’m fine with that. HP are worth it for their blades alone.
I believe you. However my experience is different. Back in my previous life (10 years ago?), we were retooling our system to use proliants on Linux (as opposed to prior hp-ux pa-risc machines). RHEL was just becoming a supported product on the proliants.
HP gave us (me+another guy) private whole-day workshop on configuring the machine correctly at HP Finnish headquarters (roof sauna office), with a sales guy + local HP Linux guru. I don’t think we even requested one. Windows wasn’t pushed, whereas an IBM sales guy kept talking about windows all the time even when we explicitly stated we are not interested in it…
It was HP Linux and came on Intel ix86 – then they dumped it.
Also, both Red Hat and Microsoft have specified that they will no longer support Itanium – which strips out two of the major operating systems for HP Integrity Virtual Machines… That leaves OpenVMS and HP-UX for HP IVMs.
I don’t see HP providing an enterprise Itanium Linux any time soon – and expect that Intel server based Linux will continue as before.
I have a printer called HP ColorLaserJet 1600. Nice cheap color laserjet printer. Take a guess if HP provides drivers for any other OS than Windows.
I just checked the HP printer drivers on available on my Ubuntu Linux system and yes there is an HP ColorLaserJet 1600 driver available. HP provides the best Linux support of any printer manufacturer.
HP is definitely the best when it comes to Linux printer drivers, but their printers hold so little ink, and the ink costs so much that I won’t touch them at this point. It’s just not worth it. Now, maybe the situation is better with laser printers, but they cost enough more that I’ve never gotten one, as nice as one would be. But ink-based printers? I won’t get them from HP.
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/models/color_laserjet/hp_color…
Have you not an internet connection to breach the limit of package-included cd-roms?
Riiight.
OK OK, Im sorry, I haven’t checked the status in a while now. But in my defence http://www.openprinting.org/printer/HP/HP-Color_LaserJet_1600 still reccomends using foo2hp drivers (http://foo2hp.rkkda.com/), which I am using now on my Mac and was using on Ubuntu and Arch on my previous machines.
Edited 2010-07-05 10:49 UTC
It’s hard for me to believe that. All of my acquaintances that happen to work for HP say that HP is a 100% windows shop.
Remember HP is huge huge company.
but to give you an idea of the diversity there is even a VPN client for Mac and Linux for folks to get internally. Trust me HP uses Linux a lot. It’s just the personal PC space aka the best buy machines where there is arguablly little market (even red hat seems to agree) that hp doesn’t focus on with Linux. But with palm purchase that may change.
never mind
Edited 2010-07-04 14:11 UTC
Depends on where at HP you are looking at. Some of their big/pricey products like HPOM and NNM run natively on Linux, and they also have a quite decent Linux printer support.
And then you also have <strike>huevos</strike> webos.
Would you like eggs with that phone?
Yup, their use of wireless components that require NDIS wrapper is REAL Linux friendly…
BLuetooth? Riggghhhhhtttt…
I agree on the support of printers and bigger iron, but the desktop hardware selection or support leave a bit to be desired still…
I guess that, again, depends on the model. I use a HP laptop at work (can’t remember the model number, 6xxxb or something like that) and everything works out of the box, including both wireless and bluetooth (which I’m just using to lock the laptop when my phone, and hence me, is enough far away from it).
Well actually I would have to install a driver if I wanted to use the fingerprint scanner, but the thing is there’s a driver available in the repositories anyway.
should read
Someone is missing some angle brackets.