<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 3:00 PM, Bob Jonkman <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bjonkman@sobac.com">bjonkman@sobac.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div class="im">John writes:<br>
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
It's really for the MS customers who continue to choose immature<br>
products (HyperV) over mature ones (Xen, VMWare).<br>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
And by contributing code to Linux, the HyperV product is one step closer to maturity. So that's a good thing.<br>
<br>
My biggest fear is that this is the first wedge for Microsoft's famous "Embrace and Extend" business model. They'll create some hook to an MS OS, requiring further extensions, a bit of code here, some proprietary data there, then, "for the optimal user experience" an add-on, high-priced proprietary program, all still within the letter of GPL v2.<br>
<br>
Or they'll get the Linux community dependent on these driver extensions, and then make HyperV incompatible. Of course, they'll gladly offer a proprietary paid-for product in its place.<br>
<br>
While the crowd here is unlikely to fall into such a trap, I hope that regular admins who are subject to the whims of their CxO will recognize such a thing before it happens.<br>
<br>
"Embrace, Extend, Extinguish".<br>
</blockquote><div><br><br>Bob<br><br>Yes, people have to be careful with "bridge/hybrid" products like that where half<br>the solution is free and the other half is controlled by an entity with bad history.<br>
<br>But as far as the embrace, extend, extinguish thing goes, they can do the first 2 all they like. The GPL prevents them from doing the 3rd!<br><br>The code can be forked by those who have the knowledge and the time to work on it.<br>
<br>There is no restriction on what can be done with the code provided that it gets redistributed<br>with the same terms.<br><br>If this was to a BSD licensed project, then perhaps, but the GPL was created to prohibit<br>
this closing down by an entity.<br><br>In the end, Hyper-V will appeal to those who need Windows for other stuff, not the <br>general virtualization markets where VMWare is king, and there are free alternatives<br>(VirtualBox, KVM, ...)<br>
<br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><div class="h5"><a href="mailto:john@netdirect.ca" target="_blank">john@netdirect.ca</a> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc-bounces@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc-bounces@kwlug.org</a> wrote on 07/27/2009 08:05:31 AM:<br>
> From: Raul Suarez <<a href="mailto:rarsa@yahoo.com" target="_blank">rarsa@yahoo.com</a>><br>
><br>
> Are there people really advocating not including the drivers<br>
> provided?<br>
><br>
> Even Richard Stallman has repeatedly said that the GPL is there so<br>
> you cannot prevent anyone from using and expanding the code, even<br>
> people you don't like so I think that Linus cheap shot at the<br>
> "Free software" people was unnecessary and misleading.<br>
><br>
> For those that think that there is a hidden purpose other than<br>
> providing Hyper-v functionality, here is one possible one: Destroy<br>
> the GPLed community by infighting but I guess the community has<br>
> been trying to do that for a long time.<br>
><br>
> I may be naive but I take this move at face value. There are good<br>
> people at MS that just want their products to work well.<br>
<br>
We have all grown to suspect MS of misdoings and there actions have<br>
reinforced our suspicions. It has become such a common reaction that<br>
it's easy to jump on MS for doing this. I initially did.<br>
<br>
MS developed the drivers to promote it's HyperV platform and, from<br>
reports, initially kept the code private until a kernel developer<br>
pushed to have it released. At best it's MS getting used to the GPL,<br>
at worst it MS trying to pull another fast one.<br>
<br>
I'm still sceptical. It will take several more positive actions to<br>
show that this was truly well-intended from the start. Let's see how<br>
MS continues to integrate with open source. Hopefully it will<br>
continue until we have a greater level of interoperability.<br>
<br>
I for one will likely never use this kernel module. It's really for<br>
the MS customers who continue to choose immature products (HyperV)<br>
over mature ones (Xen, VMWare).<br>
<br>
John Van Ostrand Net Direct Inc.<br>
<br>
CTO, co-CEO 564 Weber St. N. Unit 12 map<br>
<br>
Waterloo, ON N2L 5C6<br>
<br>
<a href="mailto:john@netdirect.ca" target="_blank">john@netdirect.ca</a> Ph: 866-883-1172 ext.5102 Linux Solutions / IBM<br>
Hardware Fx: 519-883-8533<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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