From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Sun, 26 May 2002 01:57:22 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Sun, 26 May 2002 01:57:19 -0400 Received: from bs1.dnx.de ([213.252.143.130]:60587 "EHLO bs1.dnx.de") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Sun, 26 May 2002 01:56:21 -0400 Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 07:45:40 +0200 From: Robert Schwebel To: Andrew Morton Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: patent on O_ATOMICLOOKUP [Re: [PATCH] loopable tmpfs (2.4.17)] Message-ID: <20020526074540.I598@schwebel.de> In-Reply-To: <20020524223950.D22643@work.bitmover.com> <20020525091444.H28795@work.bitmover.com> <3CEFB9C6.FC21D7CB@opersys.com> <20020525092557.K28795@work.bitmover.com> <3CEFBEA3.71611EDB@opersys.com> <20020526004710.A598@schwebel.de> <3CF03526.78F89E24@zip.com.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.16i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Sat, May 25, 2002 at 06:06:46PM -0700, Andrew Morton wrote: > Could you please tell us, just so it is really clear, what these people's > concerns are? What obstacles they see to using Linux in this industry? Uncertainty. The situation today is that they are using operating systems like WindowsCE, VxWorks, QNX or other proprietary operating systems. The problem is that if you use an operating system for the industry you need to make sure that you can support your product (=hardware: motion controller or whatever) for about 10 to 15 years. That's pretty different to the IT industry! Note also that these applications are very different from IT applications: they are in most cases not of general use, but only if you have the special hardware. This is the reason why _lots_ of people still use home brown solutions based on DOS: they have the whole system under their control, nobody can obsolete them the most significant part of their system. Industry people like Linux because it gives them exactly the combination of freedom (=control over the source) and modern technology they need (note that ethernet as a fieldbus replacement is a very promising technology). On the other hand, Linux still has a rest of the hacker image, at least to the conservative automation people. When they hear that there is a patent problem regarding to realtime they often see their central requirement violated: longterm availability. Even the slightest sign of a potential problem makes them often say: "Then we better stay with closed sorce, because that's what we know." We don't require much: most of what's _technicall_ necessary is already there. We just want the same right that every Linux programmer has for it's software: decide ourself about the license of our self made application. Is tat too much? Robert -- +--------------------------------------------------------+ | Dipl.-Ing. Robert Schwebel | http://www.pengutronix.de | | Pengutronix - Linux Solutions for Science and Industry | | Braunschweiger Str. 79, 31134 Hildesheim, Germany | | Phone: +49-5121-28619-0 | Fax: +49-5121-28619-4 | +--------------------------------------------------------+