[LI] Rediff.com ITheadlines. Jon A Hall.

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Rediff.com Headlines.

Rangarajan

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December 9, 1999
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Neena Haridas
He has just bought a brand new IBM laptop -- the latest thing with all the
digital bells and whistles  -- because he is always giving presentations and
addressing packed audiences, and it gets a bit tedious to be fiddling with a
machine that can't keep up with him.

Trouble is, the laptop is so hi-tech it isn't compatible with the projector
set up at the Pragati maidan T O D A Y
. Tug of war: Comdex
vs Convergence

conference hall. Result: The audience had to rely on their internal neural
network -- imagination, as we laymen would term it -- while looking up at a
blank screen.

Well, welcome to India, Jon A Hall -- or 'Maddog', as he prefers to be
called.

Hall come over to share his wisdom and experiences in operating system
development with the Indian IT community at Comdex India '99. Maddog, a
Jules Verne look-alike, has been in the computer industry for over a quarter
century, 17 years of which he dabbled with UNIX.

He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager,
marketing manager and professional educator. Before accepting a job at VA
Linux Systems, worked full-time for Linux International (a non-profit
association of groups, corporations and others that work towards the
promotion of, and helping direct the growth of, the Linux operating system
and the Linux community).

Jon worked for Compaq in its Digital UNIX Marketing Group and at Bell
Laboratories. And before that he was Department Head of Computer Science at
Hartford State Technical College, where his students lovingly (or so he
hopes) gave him the nickname 'Maddog'.

He has an MS in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(1977) and a BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University (1973).

He took off some time from his recalcitrant laptop to chat with Neena
Haridas. Excerpts from the conversation:


The Linux operating system is distributed free, without any licenses.... Now
India has a fetish for anything that is free. Do you see this aiding the
growth of Linux in India?

(Laughs) That alone will not be the reason for the growth of Linux in India,
or for that matter anywhere in the world. First of all, Linux is very
convenient, compatible and cost-effective operating system.

Now, I find Indians very technology-savvy; they are beginning to appreciate
Linux because it is stable, scales well, can be installed on any computer,
and is compatible with any system when configured properly.

Why do you think people opt for Linux over the Windows operating system?

Well, today manufacturers have a choice of selling machines that are either
installed with Linux or Windows. Now, if you want to install Linux, you
don't have to pay any price nor do you have to make copies or take licenses.

It is absolutely free and hence the cost comes down. However, Windows is not
free and you have to buy multiple licenses. This automatically increases the
cost of manufacturing. Now, with Linux you can sell your products at a
competitive price and, hence, make more profits.

Another reason why Linux is recommended is because it is a very flexible
operating system. Whether you are a manufacturer or an end user -- updating
the system or customising it is easy and can be done in-house, which is not
the case with Windows.

Besides, Linux is compatible with almost all other systems; hence,
functionality is not affected if you change from one to another.

Despite these advantages you claim for Linux, why is it that Windows still
remains a popular operating system?

Windows came into existence almost 25 years ago. They have the first mover
advantage. We developed Linux in 1994. But hardware companies such as Dell
and IBM started installing Linux only in 1998. Hence, Linux has been in the
market only for the last two years. And for all those years Windows has been
strengthening itself with out much competition. But in the last two years
Linux has managed to gain one-tenth's of the Windows market already.

I think that is incredible.

What are the problems that users face while using Linux?

Linux cannot be used on very high-end machines that use over 128 processors.
Linux cannot run programmes that cannot be shut down -- such as a heart
machine or nuclear power plant. But in such cases, it is better to use Unix
at the high-end and Linux at the low-end since the two are totally
compatible, and since it would very tiresome to have Windows at one end and
Linux at the other.

When will Linux go to the high-end too?

Well, we are working towards it. I think in the next two years Linux could
be used on high-end machines too.

What is your reading of the Indian IT industry?

I have been to India only once before, hence I cant be judgmental about the
industry here. But, yes, I think that since IBM, Compaq and Microsoft have
set up shop here I think there is great scope here. After all, they wouldn't
have come here unless they got the returns.




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