Anonymous Reader writes: “From CRN: UnitedLinux Clan To Detail Unified ISV, Channel, Customer Programs At LinuxWorld. Also, UnitedLinux alpha distribution to be demonstrated at LinuxWorld.”

– By Robin “Roblimo” Miller –
I spent part of last week at the annual Shareware Industry Conference, held in St. Louis this year, and had the opportunity to meet several hundred shareware authors. These people are not Open Source advocates. They make their money by selling proprietary software. But many of them rely on Open Source tools, and more than a few would be interested in porting their programs to Linux — if they believed Linux users would pay for software, which they don’t.
These are not evil people

Assuming the people I met at the conference are a fair sample of the breed, the average shareware author either works alone or for a company with fewer than 10 employees, and never expects to be as rich as Bill Gates. “Success” to most shareware authors means earning enough money to support their family in typical middle-class circumstances; to have freedom to write the software they love to write on their own schedules instead of on someone else’s; and to enjoy self-employment (or to work for a very small company) instead of being just another anonymous body in a corporate cubicle farm.

I saw a tremendous amount of attention devoted to usability issues. Users only pay to register shareware if they like the trial version they download for free, so every successful piece of shareware is, by definition, easy to install and run. This is a powerful incentive to make shareware user-friendly that does not exist in the Free Software community.

Shareware authors are also concerned about usability because customer service is expensive. One shareware company owner I spoke to has twice as many people doing tech support and customer service as he has actually writing code. In his case, there is little hope for changing this ratio. His company produces video-conferencing software for corporate use, and he says most of the tech support involves hardware setup and other issues not directly related to the software itself. He also says customer support is the reason he gets most of his word-of-mouth business; that in a market where there are many programs from which to choose, that all have similar functionality, his fanaticism about support is necessary, and that one of the biggest things he can offer that a larger software company cannot is that that he will, personally, work to solve a customer’s problem in the middle of the night if no one else is available. Of course, this is a software product sold to corporate clients for thousands of dollars, not a $29.95 utility program for home use, and that makes a big difference. But even the authors of low-cost, user-level shareware programs seem to spend a large percentage of their time and effort on customer support, not only because happy customers mean good word-of-mouth, but also because close contact with their customers gives them ideas for future upgrades and potential added features.

Shareware authors are just as geeky, in their way, as Open Source developers, and usually just as nice. A fair number of those who attended the conference even wore the same “Good Morning Mr. Gates, I’ll be Your Server Today” giant Penguin T-shirts from Penguin Computing, and various ThinkGeek fashion accessories, that you see all over the place at Linux or Open Source gatherings.

No love for Microsoft

The typical attitude I sensed toward Microsoft was along the lines of, “Yeah, Microsoft sucks, but I make my living writing Windows software so I have no choice but to deal with them.” There was a great deal of interest in Mac OS X, and speculation about whether Apple would, finally, be able to grab enough market share so that it would be possible for a substantial number of shareware developers to make money purely from Mac software and cut off Windows entirely. The consensus seemed to be that a more Mac-intensive software world would be nice, but that we weren’t going to see it in our lifetimes, so everyone might as well grit their teeth and put up with Microsoft, perhaps start writing more of their programs for both platforms not only because there might just be enough Mac users out there to make the effort worthwhile, but also because these smart developers are fully aware that the more software is available for Mac, the more likely ordinary users are to choose Mac over Windows in the future.

No love for Linux, either

“Linux users won’t pay for software, so there’s no point in writing software for Linux,” or some variation on this statement, was heard over and over. A number of shareware authors, most notably CoffeeCup Software, have tried to sell Linux versions of their programs, and almost every one of them has lost money on the attempt.

CoffeeCup not only ported its original, highly popular HTML editor to Linux, but went to Linux trade shows and actively courted Linux users. At one point, according to one CoffeCup executive, “We had around 100 people per month registering our Linux editor.” Compared to the money CoffeeCup poured into Linux-oriented promotions, this income was trivial. The big problem with selling to Linux users when CoffeeCup first tried it, a couple of years ago, was that “our product was geared toward beginning users, and most Linux users at the time were pretty advanced and really didn’t need it all that much.”

Now the CoffeeCup Linux HTML editor is a free (but not Free) download, and one CoffeeCup guy says, “It’s so obsolete now, it’s kind of an embarrassment. We really ought to take it down.” Besides, the CoffeeCup people say, there’s now an excellent GPL program called Bluefish for Linux and Unix that has much of the same functionality as CoffeeCup. “Bluefish is a lot geekier than our stuff,” one of the CoffeeCup guys says, “but it’s a great program, and since Linux users are a lot geekier than our average customer, they might as well use Bluefish and be happy with it.”

In this crowd, FUD about GPL “infecting” other software cuts no water. Shareware authors are, by and large, programmers smart enough to see through such nonsense. They are also smart enough to realize that it’s rough for proprietary programs to compete in the GPL-oriented world of Linux.

Bottom line: Don’t look for Windows-oriented, consumer-oriented shareware authors to suddenly start turning out Linux ports galore. A few might test the Linux waters a little bit, but that’s about all. Things might be different for people who write commercial-level software, because Linux penetration of the server and enterprise market is now strong enough that it can no longer be ignored.

Open Source tools help shareware development

Shareware developers who don’t see money in writing Open Source applications or commercial Linux apps don’t turn up their noses at using Open Source software. Almost every shareware developer I talked to uses Open Source somewhere along the line. The vi editor is popular. GCC use is strong. The vast majority of shareware authors’ Web sites and download servers run Apache on either Linux or *BSD Unix. And more than a few of these folks run Linux desktops because, for their personal use, they prefer Linux to Windows.

A few shareware developers I met have contributed to Open Source projects. I only got one diatribe, from one person, about how GPL is the enemy of all that is Right and Good and American. The general feeling I got about GPL and other Open Source licenses was neutral; that they were good in many ways, but not necessarily for retail software. Some of the developers whose products are made primarily for corporate use spoke of using code escrow as a way to overcome potential clients’ worries about small commercial developers going out of business and leaving them without the ability to update code or fix bugs (a potential problem that doesn’t exist with Open Source software), and a few said that because a large percentage of their efforts and a large part of the value they offer revolve around support and customization, open-sourcing their code probably wouldn’t make much difference to their incomes, but that none of their customers have ever asked to see source code. They said the marketplace was set up around a “buy the software and you get service thrown in as part of the purchase” model, and because customers are used to doing things this way they have no incentive to change.

Perhaps there is some hypocrisy to an, “I use Open Source software but I won’t write Open Source software,” attitude, but is it really any different from the hypocrisy of a Free Software zealot who expects all programmers to give away their work for free and support their families by waiting tables, driving taxis or laying brick?

We seem to be moving toward a general software ecosystem where many different licensing schemes all have their own niches, and the different licensing “camps” coexist happily with each other, except for a few people on the fringes who feel their personal licensing preference is the only right one and that all others are evil.

Luckily, the fringe people are rare, although both the, “All software must have commercial licenses and be owned by its creator,” and the, “All software must be Free,” crowd tend to be vocal out of all proportion to their respective numbers.

Meanwhile, there are a few notable cases of proprietary or “hybrid licensed” software publishers, like Codeweavers, that successfully sell to Linux users. Indeed, Codeweavers and Wine were both discussed heavily by some of the shareware authors I met, because they potentially represent a simple and inexpensive way to port Windows apps to Linux, and if Linux use continues to grow, and Linux continues to become easier to use for non-geeks, at least a few shareware authors will inevitably want to test the Linux market for their products despite past failures. And who knows? Enough of them may succeed — or at least cover their Linux porting costs, especially if Wine helps keep those costs down — that we may one day see enough user-level shareware applications for Linux to overcome the endless, “but there are hardly any cool desktop applications for Linux,” whine that has been such a big barrier to Linux adoption by home and small office computer users.

Anonymous Reader writes: “MontaVista Software Inc. today announced its membership in and sponsorship of the RapidIO Trade Association. MontaVista is the first Linux supplier and the first open source vendor to join the 50+ member RapidIO organization, which establishes and promotes RapidIO as an open standard for embedded networking and communications applications.”

Anonymous Reader writes: “Q-Net Technologies of the United States recently launched their Q-Reader, an electronic reading device for the education market in China. As well as reading capabilities, the multi-function device includes Web connectivity, email, and other PDA features, including support for both English and Chinese. The company has received strong interest from the publishing industry, education sector, and governmental groups in China. More details at LinuxDevices.com“

”

I can understand why RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser, tired of fighting the unfair fight with Microsoft, has joined forces with the open source community.

After all, he spent 10 years at Microsoft and knows how the company thinks and operates. He learned a great deal about business strategy from his former boss, Bill Gates. He also knows that his company has a big target on its back and that Microsoft is zeroing in on it, gaining share in key markets they cohabit.” More from Dan Farber at ZDNET.

“In January 1999, Gartner published “How the Open-Source Movement Will Affect Users.” In that Research Note, we listed six key Strategic Planning Assumptions (SPAs). Here, we re-examine those SPAs, assess their accuracy and explain what track we are on going forward.” More at ZDNET.

EvilYoda writes: “C|Net reports:
“Graphics chipmaker Nvidia announced Tuesday that it will make some of its Cg development tools for programming high-level graphics effects available as open-source software.”

I wish they were opening up the graphics drivers, but this is at least something! (P.S. What is the status of opening the drivers, anyhow?)”

Dave B writes: “Bob Cringely doesn’t think MS will impose palladium on us. He says they’re wary of the EU and won’t rock the boat. Is he on the money or have his marbles finally made a break for freedom? His column’s on PBS.

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20020718. html“

LINDON, Utah-July 24, 2002- Caldera International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALD), a leading provider of Linux and UNIX business solutions, building upon its recently announced UnitedLinux partnership with Conectiva, today announced a comprehensive partnership with Conectiva, Inc. that will expand Caldera’s presence in Brazil. Based in Curitiba, Brazil, Conectiva is the leading provider of Linux solutions and services to the Latin American market.
Under terms of the agreement, Conectiva’s sales force and reseller channels will sell Caldera’s products and services. Specifically, Caldera will provide the Volution product and services family of messaging and systems management solutions, as well as the company’s Open UNIX and OpenServer UNIX solutions into Brazil, with future possibilities of extending the relationship to the rest of the Latin American market. In addition, Conectiva and Caldera will partner to provide customer support, training and professional services for the companies’ mutual customers.

According to IDC, Linux server software experienced 24 percent growth in Brazil last year, compared to 21 percent growth for Microsoft Windows( server software.

“Expanding our relationship with Conectiva was a natural extension of the UnitedLinux initiative,” said Darl McBride, president and CEO of Caldera. “With 70 percent of the Linux market share in Latin America, Conectiva is in a better position to more economically and efficiently service the business customers in this important market. This also facilitates business with customers and partners who need to seamlessly deploy business solutions throughout the Americas by facilitating a united product, service and support model.”

“This contract is extremely important for both companies,” said Sandro Nunes Henrique, Conectiva’s director. “Working together, we will provide customers with greater products and services than our two companies could have provided separately. This way, IT executives will benefit with more confidence in their technology and the companies providing that technology. We are making it easier for decision making with regards to their systems in Brazil.”

“As one of Caldera’s main business partners in Latin America, OS&T is very excited about this new partnership with Caldera and Conectiva,” said Rosangela Martins, president of OS&T Informatica Ltda, a long-time Caldera reseller in Brazil. “Through this relationship we can more easily harness the strengths of Linux and UNIX for our customers.”

For more information on Caldera, Conectiva, and UnitedLinux, customers should visit www.unitedlinux.com, contact Caldera at www.caldera.com or call Caldera’s headquarters at 801-765-4999.

Conectiva

Conectiva S.A. is a private company specializing in services, development and distribution of the Linux operating system in Latin America. The Company has received investments from ABN AMRO Bank and LatinTech Capital. Conectiva has a network of partners, the Conectiva Business Channel, that offers support, consulting and training throughout the region. The Company commercializes and implements solutions based on open source software in vertical markets, corporations, educational and other governmental entities. Conectiva is a Brazilian company, based in Curitiba, Parana, with offices in S?o Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Brasilia and Porto Alegre.

Caldera International, Inc.

Caldera International (Nasdaq: CALD) provides “Powerful Choices” for businesses through its UNIX, Linux and Volution product lines and services. Based in Lindon, UT, Caldera has representation in 82 countries and 16,000+ resellers worldwide. Caldera Global Services provides reliable localized support and services to partners and customers. For more information on Caldera products and services, visit http://www.caldera.com.

Caldera, the Caldera logos, Caldera Volution, OpenLinux, SCO and the associated SCO logo, and SCO OpenServer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Caldera International, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Caldera Global Services is a service mark of Caldera International, Inc. UNIX and UnixWare, used under an exclusive license, are registered trademarks of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand or product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements

The statements set forth above include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company wishes to advise readers that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the ability of the Company to successfully meet its revenue projections, which are based in part, on the continued acceptance in the marketplace of the historical products of the acquired operations; the ability of the Company to develop and successfully introduce products integrating its products and services with those historically offered by the recently acquired operations; the ability of the Company to continue to manage its cost reductions without adversely affecting customer service and employee productivity; the ability of recently introduced and new products to operate as designed, including compatibility with various platforms in the absence of other defects; the Company’s reliance on developers in the open source community; new and changing technologies and customer acceptance of those technologies; the Company’s ability to compete effectively with other companies; failure of our brand to achieve the broad recognition necessary to succeed; unenforceability of the GNU general public license and other Open Source licenses; our reliance on third party developers of components of our software offerings; claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights; and disruption in the Company’s distribution sales channel. These and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially, are discussed in more detail in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

# # #

It all began with one lone Linux-based file server. Linux was the choice and MP3.com was the company. Linux is a common choice for servers nowadays but not when I chose it at MP3.com 4 years ago.
I made the Linux choice based on the fact that I had little money to spare. It was purely a decision based on cost – I soon learned that I had employed the most stable technology available. Many had dismissed the effectiveness of Linux because of its low-cost, thinking that if it cost less it must be substandard. With Linux on servers, and now with Linux on the desktop, that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. High quality can be had without breaking the bank and strong-arming customers into inflexible deals, such as Microsoft’s licensing deadline, which is coming up on July 31, 2002.

The emergence of Linux as a competitor to Microsoft Windows has forced Microsoft to change the way it approaches customers, however, according to Gartner Research, Microsoft customers still face an increase in fees ranging from 33 to 107 percent. Microsoft’s captive agreements guarantee their revenue streams. The software giant is afraid (and with good reason) of the affordable options now available in the software market, hence the urgency in signing customers into restrictive agreements with looming deadlines. See the article on ZDNet.

For the first time, computer professionals now have a choice for company systems. Those in charge of their companies’ technology decisions owe it to their corporations’ bottom line to keep an eye on LindowsOS. See our Insiders program for more information.

On the desktop, Microsoft has positioned itself to be significantly easier to learn, install and use in comparison to some Linux-distributions. Until now, creators of Linux-products may not have been able to move as quickly to smooth out some of the rough edges. LindowsOS has been specifically designed to be easy to install and use.

Users need to look at the overall total cost (see above diagram.) On one end of the spectrum you have Microsoft’s “cost-an-arm-and-a- leg-ware.†Then comes Linux “freeware,” but, as long as Linux requires experts with extra time and in-depth knowledge to configure code, Microsoft has little to worry about.

LindowsOS, however, is based on the “fairware” principal which will dramatically reduce the overall total cost. The diagram above illustrates users can buy and maintain a LindowsOS system for one-third of the cost of an Microsoft-based system. A fair-priced model is a threat to Microsoft more so that an absolutely free one.

LindowsOS not only offers a stable easy-to-use operating system, we hide the technological details of Linux under an easy-to-use interface, that means anyone can download one of the more than 1,300 programs in the Click-N-Run Warehouse. Anyone can run LindowsOS. It’s point-and-click easy. People new to computers can use it, kids can use it. People who have shied away from computers will be able to use LindowsOS – the ease is there and the price is right.

And remember the one lone Linux-based server that powered the MP3.com in the early days that I mentioned? That server is now accompanied by hundreds of its friends — all running Linux while saving MP3.com millions of dollars. The phenomenon of the one lone server multiplying again and again is the same phenomenon that will take place on the desktop. I know it, Microsoft knows it, Linux enthusiasts know it, and Lindows.com Insiders know it as well.

See what one creative Insider thought of Microsoft licensing policies, visit www.lindows.com/mseula or visit www.lindows.com/screenshots to see a host of Insider submissions.

Michael Robertson

Please visit support.lindows.com to answers questions you may have about LindowsOS or Lindows.com.

Bringing Choice to Your Computer!

Lindows.com is a consumer company that brings choice to computer users. Lindows.com, Inc. was started by Michael Robertson, founder and former CEO of MP3.com. LindowsOS is a modern, affordable, easy-to-use operating system that allows users access to hundreds of applications via the Click-N-Runâ„¢ Warehouse. All applications in the Click-N-Run Warehouse are licensed on a per-person or family basis and can be downloaded, installed and run with just one-mouse click. LindowsOS is also available on LindowsOS Certified Computers from Walmart.com. To signup as a Builder being click here. The General Release of LindowsOS, available now for download and preview to Lindows.com Insiders, will be made available later this year for those wishing to install and run LindowsOS on their existing computer hardware. The General Release version will support a wider range of computer hardware and includes unique features such as a “Friendly-Install†alongside an existing Microsoft® Windows operating system, a streamlined installation process which requires no computer knowledge, and the ability to run a select set of “bridge” Windows-compatible programs. For more information see www.lindows.com/products

LindowsOS and Lindows.com are trademarks of Lindows.com, Inc. Linux® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Microsoft® Windows® operating system is a registered trademark or service mark of the Microsoft Corporation.