Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 16:14:07 +0800 (CST)
From: Hung(2) Chao(2)-Kuei(4) <ckhung@cyut.edu.tw>
To: john_dodge@zd.com
Subject: PC WEEK Column on Linux

Mr. Dodge,

(In response to your column:)
	http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/opinion/0608/08week.html
I am sure that by now you have received more than a few letters pointing
you to useful resources about why free software, and Linux in particular,
works better than proprietary software, in particular Windows. If not, I
recommend InforWorld's collection of pointers:

http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?/features/980608freeware.htm

No, it's not just about being freely available. (And 10 ftp sites is
perhaps one third of what we have here in the small island of Taiwan.)

No, it's not just an alternative to Windows. Even though it is true that
just by looking at
    http://www.ctv.es/USERS/xose/linux/linux_ports.html
you know that it will eventually adopt all the orphaned hardware on which
no alternatives -- not even Windows -- are available. And it will keep
doing so as software companies come and go.

No, it's not just about providing better multithreading and multitasking.

These are all attractive features of Linux but if you focus on these facts
alone, Mr. Dodge, _you have completely missed the point_.

These benefits of Linux are the by-products, the results of the
_development model_ in the free software world. The real point is:
the proprietary way of developing software is perhaps getting
out-of-date. I have to refrain from explaining all the details here
lest the letter get too long, but I assure you that doing some
research on the free software _development model_ is certainly
worth your while. Then you can decide if you want to install Linux.

And mind you, Linux is not just for techies only. The Beowulf project
is primarily for people who need supercomputing power and cannot afford
it. Reviewing it as a proof of the hardship of Linux installation for
general PC users is pointless.

As for your sarcastic tones on the spelling and the not-so-serious
comments from Linus and others, I will personally just take it as a
reflexive defense from someone whose feelings for the much worshipped
Windows is hurt, and just ignore it because they are irrelevant to the
technical issues.

The facts remain facts, whatever people in the dark say. If you have
to use MS Word, Windows is fine. If you want to set up any kind of
Internet server, be it web server, ftp server, or even MS's own
technology -- SMB server, the free OS's like Linux or FreeBSD are
by far better choices than any version of Windows.

Sincerely,

Chao-Kuei Hung

Associate Professor
Information Management Department
Chaoyang University of Technology

ckhung@cyut.edu.tw
http://www.cyut.edu.tw/~ckhung/