[OFB Cafe] Resurrecting an old debate

[Jens Benecke]

Hello everybody,

*ping* also from Germany. Despite the Euro crisis and everything, we’re still here.
Happily married for almost two and a half years now, happy house owners for one and a half years, and who knows what comes next. :-)

Anyway, to bring some life to an old debate, but in a new light, here’s a thought I’ve had for some time.

When one watches todays’ IT companies develop and evolve, one realizes that the computing landscape has changed significantly over the last couple years. Some companies do things that would have been impossible ten years ago. Microsoft donates code to the Samba project (and the code is actually open sourced). Apple basically makes PCs obsolete by inventing the next computing platform (and despite everybody dismissing it as useless). And so on.

And what about Linux?

I must admit I haven’t used Linux as my primary desktop OS since 2006 when I bought my first Macbook, but I use it on our home server, on multiple internet servers, and many of our friends use it, and I try to stay up to date. And here’s the thing: even among those who never thought they’d be running Linux, I would bet they have more Linux devices at home than other systems. In our house, Linux runs my TV, my DSL router, my NAS, my radio alarm clock and our central heating system (yes, really), mostly in some embedded form or other. I know that Sony, Samsung, LG, and probably others are also using Linux as their base OS for many multimedia devices, not just TVs.

So, my first thought was: With Linux devices powering everything but the kitchen sink, how far has it actually come regarding Linus’ semi serious World Domination plans? 

And my second thought was: Even if Linux runs everywhere, does just that fact make the world any better?

For example, on our Philips TV, the GPL is actually displayed as a license agreement in the TV’s on screen menu. Philips does not hide the fact that they use OSS. But you still cannot access the system, it’s locked down, and for example, its PVR hard disk recordings are encrypted so you cannot use them anywhere else. So Linux hasn’t really changed much for the casual user here in terms of freedom. Western Digital, on the other hand, has understood, and offers a (hidden, undocumented, but googleable) way of enabling SSH on their NAS devices, and a forum to exchange ideas and hacks. 
And I’m not even mentioning the myriads of (often Linux-based) IT systems which companies like Siemens sell to oppressive regimes like Syria to control their peoples communication. For them, it is a tool that can be (ab)used just like any other.

Where is the *real* benefit here?

Did / does Linux, or OSS in general, have any long-term effect on the world, outside of IT shops and hackers?

Did companies really change their way of thinking due to the OSS movement, or did this only happen to the IT world?

What big picture are you seeing?


I’d love to hear your thoughts.


-- 
Jens Benecke - jens at spamfreemail.de - www.jensbenecke.de
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