__/ [ Da'Punk-A ] on Friday 09 June 2006 17:29 \__
> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
>> ... A 'kickbacks war' requires some very deep
>> pockets.
>
> Fortunately for Ubuntu (and its users... like /me/), Mark Shuttleworth
> has /very/ deep pockets, and judging from stuff he's supposed to have
> said, he's quite willing to use his money to help Ubuntu - he is, of
> course, very business savvy, but at the same time he sees Ubuntu as a
> way to use his fortune to "give something back" to the world.
Even if Ubuntu ever became profitable (think Red Hat, Novell's Linux
'department'), the fact that Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSuSE stay standing makes
it a contribution, without a doubt.
Being Open Source, all the fixed get entwined and worked on in parallel by
competing vendors. Funny when you come to think of it: The same companies
that compete are actually helping each other at the same time. It's friendly
competition (compare with those that directly outmuscle the competition
rather than innovate and independently excel) and one from which the
customer (/humanity) benefits regardless of the vendor's success (or lack
thereof).
> I wonder how willing Gates is to throw his personal money into the
> Microsoft pot to keep it going if the revenue turned bad?
For idealogical reasons as well as ego, I am sure he will be willing to throw
a plentiful to rescue the company that he once started with Allen.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz, Ph.D. Candidate (Medical Biophysics)
http://Schestowitz.com | SuSE GNU/Linux ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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