[NTLUG:Discuss] Redhat Offerings -- the Red Hat bashing tour isback!

[Bryan J. Smith]

> Yes, and a minimum of 90% of it was donated from 
> other parties. That's a critical fact to remember
> when keeping this in perspective.
> The value of their own trademark is built on the
> work of others.

And you're saying that Red Hat values that _less_ than any
other distributor?

Before Novell, SuSE avoided the trademark issue by just not
allowing you to redistribute their distribution at all.  You
either had to download via FTP _directly_ *OR* get one of their
"evaluation" CDs.  [ Not sure how Novell will change that ]

Many other commercial distributors did the _exact_same_.

So much was based on Red Hat Linux (RHL), they kept getting
bashed by people and the media on lack of support.  For what?
Distros that weren't even theirs?  Or downloaded for free?

That's what the "trademark" issue is all about.  And Fedora
solves it nicely.

All the meanwhile, Red Hat _does_ value the fact that 90%
is work donated from others -- far _better_ than _any_ other
distributor.  How?  Do you _see_ who they employ?

I love people who bash Red Hat quite ignorantly**.  They don't
realize who works for Red Hat, benefits from Red Hat's funding
of GPL, all the meanwhile, being funded by sale of Red Hat's
enterprise products -- used by people who need ABI compatibility
because they either sell or purchase non-free software.

Classic "take from the rich, give to the poor -- without any
strings attached (aka via a 100% GPL focus)."  At the same time,
they employ more of the "poor" than anyone else.

> Fedora != Redhat.

*BUT*  
  Fedora Core (FC) = Red Hat Linux (RHL)

Right down to its development and funding!

So if:
  Fedora = Red Hat _Funded_ { Core, Extras, Alternatives, Legacy }
           + 3rd Party  { Third Party }

Isn't Fedora just RHL on steroids?  Red Hat funded and all?

-- Bryan

**P.S.  I've seen people do this to _lots_ of innocent people on
_major_ Linux/community-focused projects at companies.  Corel, LPI,
Sun, etc...  They get so anti-company X they forget who stands in
the way of their gross ignorance.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith, E.I. -- Engineer, Technologist, School Teacher
b.j.smith at ieee.org