[CentOS] IBM buying RedHat

Sun Oct 28 22:59:03 UTC 2018
Zube <Zube at stat.colostate.edu>

On Sun Oct 28 11:07:50 PM, Jos Vos wrote:

> On Sun, Oct 28, 2018 at 03:54:06PM -0600, Zube wrote:
>
> > That old war wound started aching again.
> > 
> > IBM:Redhat :: Oracle:Sun
> 
> At least IBM is a far more attractive buyer than the evil Oracle,
> well known for killing OSS companies as a strategy.  Also Microsoft
> has ben mentioned as possible buyer of Red Hat, that would be much
> worse too.
> 
> So, let's not be too pessimistic and give IBM a fair chance.  IBM
> certainly does not have a bad track record on open source and as
> a technology-driven company, at least a much better track record
> than most if not all other potential buyers.

Of course.  For the next several $timeframes, it will all be
speculation, not worth a shovelful of earth.

I'd be happy, nay, over-the-freakin'-moon, to be proven wrong.

If the trajectory follows the Oracle (tm) pattern, the first change
will be that things that you used to be able to download unencumbered
will need an IBM username and password.  Everyone who is nervous will
try to reassure themselves and others that this isn't a fundamental
change, that it's really just a minor inconvenience, we can still get
what we need.  I think our English chums call this "the thin end of
the wedge."

I'll stop now and wait with everyone else, silently, to see what
happens.  But I can't resist an old joke from long ago when there was a
rumor about IBM buying Apple (I think this was in the late 80s or 90s):

Q:  What do you get when you cross IBM with Apple?
A:  IBM

Cheers,
Zube