Thursday, November 6, 2008

LINUX:Motivation - Why is Centralization an Issue?

Many people have complained over the last few years that there should be some sort of "central" Linux organization.

Some common reasons that I see include:

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It would be good for there to be some "central" Linux presence on the Web.
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It would be good for there to be some organization holding the Linux trademark to prevent situations like one that recently occurred where an individual named Della Croce claimed a trademark on the name "Linux," and began demanding royalties from anyone using the name.

Items "in public trust" need to remain in public trust.
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Many companies want and need some sort of central "Linux Authority."

Companies want a rather more formalized support mechanism than Go ask questions on the Internet. They want a formal system of Linux Support so that users having problems have some sort of help desk to call. This could involve telephone support as well as more formal consulting.

That being said, InfoWorld recently awarded "Linux People on the Internet" their award for InfoWorld Best Technical Support. Evidently there is some value to Internet-based support.
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Linux could use some sort of centralized advocacy organization for marketing purposes. The point here being that other operating systems have marketing machines, while Linux doesn't.
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Every other major operating system has a central organization.
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We need to have a way to encourage financial sponsorship of worthwhile development projects.
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A less favorable reason is that many people apparently like to be herded by others.

There is little agreement as to what organization should be "king," but there is desire for a "king" nonetheless.

I would like to argue that while there are imperfections in the support presently available for Linux, this does not mandate the creation of an authoritative central Linux organization.

I would argue furthermore that the decentralization Linux displays represents a strength in that it allows support to grow simultaneously in many areas, unhindered by any particular controlling agency.

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