On its 10th anniversary, IBM Software Group, led by Steve Mills, is taking its winning middleware formula to small business. eWeek also features a long and interesting interview with the Mr Mills.
Interview with IBM Software Group’s Steve Mills
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Now that IBM committed 1billion to Linux, why don’t we see some of those applications they’ve been porting to Linux….what? they haven’t? then what may I ask has the 1billion been spent on because I certainly haven’t seen anything productive being developed for it. Oh, my mistake, the 990 spent on hype and $10 making NGPL which was inferior to NPTL (and pointless as native posix threads development was already in the process of being developed) and EVMS the competitor to LVM2, oh, thats right, inferiror AGAIN.
How about producing something what Linux DOES need, namely commercial applications like Lotus Notes, Smart Suite, a native port of websphere development environment.
> How about producing something what Linux DOES need, namely
> commercial applications like Lotus Notes, Smart Suite, a
> native port of websphere development environment.
Are you kidding? You want Lotus Smart Suite on GNU/Linux? Why?
And concerning Lotus Notes: Notes runs perfectly with Wine and RNext should get a native GNU/Linux Client. I’m using it with the official GNU/Linux Client for e-business of IBM (based on Red Hat 7.3). On this Client for e-business there is also WSAD preinstalled.
Thomas
> Are you kidding? You want Lotus Smart Suite on GNU/Linux? > Why?
because it is not a bad suite and if it would be oss then it would be a big big plus, because it could be taken apart and integrated into OOo.
> And concerning Lotus Notes: Notes runs perfectly with Wine > and RNext should get a native GNU/Linux Client. I’m using > it with the official GNU/Linux Client for e-business of
> IBM (based on Red Hat 7.3). On this Client for e-business > there is also WSAD preinstalled.
>
since when does notes run native under gnu/linux? remember: rnext = r6. and r6 is since some time out! and definatly not as a native client for gnu/linux.
domino is another storry. but notes?!?!?
> Thomas
Gruss SteveB
RE: SteveB (IP: —.hispeed.ch)
because it is not a bad suite and if it would be oss then it would be a big big plus, because it could be taken apart and integrated into OOo.
I certainly don’t necessarily want to see it opensourced, however, if the marketplace see’s that one large software company is taking Linux seriously on the client side, then you will see the Adobe’s and Macromedias of the world consider porting or atleast working with Codeweavers to bring their software to Linux.
RE: Thomas (IP: —.de.ibm.com)
And concerning Lotus Notes: Notes runs perfectly with Wine and RNext should get a native GNU/Linux Client. I’m using it with the official GNU/Linux Client for e-business of IBM (based on Red Hat 7.3). On this Client for e-business there is also WSAD preinstalled.
Should isn’t good enough. It is either a yes or a no. I am sick and tired of hearing multinationals indecisive over what they want. They should make a decision and bloody well stick to it.
Seeing the IBM IP address (assuming that AT&T, who bought the IBM global network services have moved the domains over), please explain to me where this $1 billion evaporated to? in fact, did this $1billion even exist at all? I have a feeling that this $1billion wasn’t cash but so-called “intellectual property” such as JFS (one wonders why Linux needs yet ANOTHER journalling filesystem).
For $1billion, IBM could have bought Corel, ported ALL their software natively to GTK2 with enough money left over to buy each programmer a bottle of Australian Red Wine and Pizza to celebrate. That would have been a heck of alot more productive that the so-called “projects” they started up which produced ZERO for the Linux operating system.
Lotus Notes:
I saw a native GNU/Linux running at the Lab in Rueschlikon (CH). But don’t ask me what happened to it, I’m not a Notes developer. I’m perfectly happy with NUL (Notes Under Linux) which runs with WINE.
$1 billion (@CooCooCaChoo):
Do you really think that an IBM working student (which I am) could tell you were the money is? But I don’t think, that Lou (or Sam) opened the safe, took 1$ billion and gave them to some kernel hackers. If you thought this, you’re very naive. IBM relicensed IP under the GPL and actively develops GPL/OSS software which has approximately the counter-value of $1 billion:
– JFS
– Eclipse
– Porting GNU/Linux to S/390, Z-Series
More projects are on http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/views/linux/projects.jsp
What you shouldn’t underestimate is the PR IBM does for GNU/Linux: TV adds, “Love, Peace and Linux” campaign etc.
Also IBM factually ‘owns’ SuSE and assists Red Hat financially.
They don’t do this because of charity, they do this because GNU/Linux is a very profitable business for IBM (about $2 billion total revenue last year).
What concerns porting Corel products to GNU/Linux I think this isn’t very useful for IBM because they abondoned the consumer market some time ago. Also I think that South African Red Wine would be much better to celebrate…
Thomas
> Lotus Notes:
> I saw a native GNU/Linux running at the Lab in
> Rueschlikon (CH). But don’t ask me what happened to it,
> I’m not a Notes developer. I’m perfectly happy with NUL
> (Notes Under Linux) which runs with WINE.
>
yeah… this is what i hear all the time. i eaven saw in zürich altstetten on a thinkpad of a ibm employee a rpm for it. and he told me that they will probably realease something, but because of the nda he is not allowed to tell/show/whatever to me.
next time you come to ch, then drop a mail and i would be happy to talk with you about that kind of things (i am living 5 minutes away from rüschlikon).
i personaly don’t expect a linux client of notes. ibm is happy to do $$$ with the domino server and if domino/notes would not have such a big user-base, then ibm would kill domino/notes long time ago and push websphere (they are anyway pushing more websphere then domino).
– JFS
– Eclipse
– Porting GNU/Linux to S/390, Z-Series
Why was JFS ported? Linux already had a perfectly functional journalling filesystem in the works. Supporting XFS or ext3fs would have been a lot more efficient.
Eclipse, its a nice development suite so I’ll give you that one.
Porting GNU/Linux to s/390 and Z-Series; who requested this? If that is what IBM wanted, then I wouldn’t take it out of the $1billion.
What concerns porting Corel products to GNU/Linux I think this isn’t very useful for IBM because they abondoned the consumer market some time ago. Also I think that South African Red Wine would be much better to celebrate…
I wasn’t talking about the consumer market, the cash is made in the enterprise. Wouldn’t it be great if IBM could offer desktops pre-loaded with Wordpefect Suite (Wordpefect, Quatro Pro, Presentations and Paradox) as an alternative to the winteloffice combo.