Oracle … Linux - beyond tech
This is the blog post I probably should've avoided to write.

If you are here because of a headline and hope for technology comparison, please leave. Trends, well, maybe. This post is about what I (BIG I) think is around those two big names of tech nowadays. To be more precise, my interpretation of some part of it + my emotional comments. And, of course, I'm the most objective person in the world, so this is going to contain false accusations, unverifiable truths, comparisons of apples to you-name-it, plain lies and simple name-calling. Why to be so consious in the very beginning? Probably because it's not going to be polite and we all like to be seen as a morally "good" persons. Me too. But that's not true in fact. At least I'm morally just normal, whatever "normal" means. And, when you'll finish reading this (if you WILL finish at all) you'll going to either like it or think that it's plain stupidity. Both are correct.

The trigger of this spilling of so many written words out was my visit to LinuxCon Europe 2012 in Barcelona. I recalled last year's Oracle World a few times during it.

Even thou I'd like to say that I came here to word space to compare two worlds, Oracle and Linux, it's not the case. It started with much simpler things. Like how people look, how they act, what is my reaction.

But, to make it even harder for you to follow, I'll tell you how it ended for me right away. In both events the most emotionally (tech and emotion, really? yes, really) intense sessions are with "the makers". Larry Elison and Linus Torvalds, incomparable... Genius entrepreneur, genius tech. Appearances are quite different. Event was put in the way which made me think of Linus incapable to put a decent public presentation together… Ups, talk. I truly believe that Larry hasn't written a single line of code. And if he did, somebody else did it and he just presented it to the world ;) Ups, sold.

But when Linus told a joke during his Q&A that the ultimate goal of Linux is "world domination", it went into my subconscious and it returned with a feeling - they BOTH have the SAME motivation and it really IS about world domination. Just think about how many plugs both guys could pull out if they thought about it one day… They can be more dangerous than the biggest nuclear weapon ever created. When you receive a bill, it's made by both of them most probably. Your new TV set is running Linux definitely. When you go to Facebook you use Oracle. Every single state IT in the world runs both. You connect to internet and… never mind… When you fuck your love, either the condom is made using the tech or you just think that those few webcams in your home you have switched off ARE switched off. You may think that the only way to escape this is to go fuck in the desert or wood… and satellites will take those pictures then… You may think that the only true thing they have no impact on is before you are born and after you die. Maybe true for you, but very NOT true for your children, because you have met your mate by them helping and you will have both real and digital graves. Latter will be run by… you already got that.

(to try to keep up with that I'm morally "normal" person - I hate those conspiracy theories)

Larry may seem that he is making money by advanced tech, but who would be able to spent a billion in a normal life? Linus doesn't seem to be about money too much, he's about tech and tech community and maybe his approach is more humane towards himself and his family. And his surroundings.

So, money, tech, surrounding people and environment - different - not important. World domination - common denominator - important.

Now it should be clear to me (and you) that this is about world domination. And it's easier for me to put my observations in some order in the light of this.

Small things first. In order to appear normal or cool in OOW you:
* wear either a suit or business casual (btw, jeans and t-shirt IS business casual, isn't it?)
* you talk on the phone significant % of the time outside sessions; your phone is of certain brand ;)
* you are organized by your movements around the facility, you stay in queues, queues run fast, your badge is scanned on entrance
* you run Windows or Apple machine with a document, presentation or some web page open [yes, yes, i peep over peoples shoulders into their screens]
* you are shaved, except, maybe, on the next day after party
* you call your speech the presentation or slides

The latest event in my timeline… well… you:
* wear … other kind of casual, wearing a suit makes you … a sponsor? kind of a person who is connected with the fact that OSS community needs money in order to survive?
* you even do not have a phone, probably; if you have, it runs Linux; when you see somebody using iPhone you wonder why such thing happen to people; you avoid using your phone as much as possible
* you stop to chat in the doorway (this was second biggest annoyance in the event for me; really, why, is it in order to make your OWN queue?)
* you eat cookies
* you run some distro of Linux, on the netbook most probably, and on your screen is either cli, some code or kernel messages (yes, I like to look at kernel messages too when my Ubuntu boots, but why do folks boot so often? I must've not learned something yet), some web page occasionally…
* you are either shaved or … not, for a long time, means you are passionate about it
* you call presentation the talk

However:
* in the toilet you are human again, everybody act the same even thou come form different worlds
* to be more precise, sorry, you are men again (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzO1mCAVyMw), girls are insignificant deviation in the business; ups, significant, but very very very rare (Linus doesn't know the answer why)
* you talk, yes, yes, Linux kernel programmer talk too
* you are definitely human - my conclusion is that even thou we observe different races here, we are all still the same species of homo sapiens, nobody has become walking-talking presentation or wallet or big naked brain with rudimentary fingers needed just in order to use keyboard

There are exceptions, of course. What you just read is unverifiable statistics made by my brain seasoned with my emotional state.

Now, the philosophy or ideology. Or just a few trends.

Linux has caught "mobile" thing. They had their differences, but now Linus says: if Android have 100 mil users of this kind of Linux, they must've done something right. So they have merged mobile forks back into Linux.

OSS folks start to think that the software could be used by other races too, so they have caught the term usability. But it is in very early stage, they haven't figured out what to do with that phenomenon yet.

Btw, Canonical might be on usability road already, but generally Shuttleworth is perceived kinda not very normal. Should it be because he tries to experiment with how other races see and use Linux? Might be.

Heretic thought here. Do you remember that experimenting on humans led WWII SS doctors to their deaths as well as their victims? You will tell me that that's totally incomparable. Because there is choice now and there were no choice back then? Do you really think people have much choice nowadays and do choose often? Think once more. Please notice that this was also about world domination back then.

You shouldn't enjoy this by now anymore and leave probably. My being / pretending morally "normal" is seriously suspicious by now also, I know. Or just continue reading.

Everything is going cloud, big data, high availability, parallel. Right thing, we all need it.

OSS community in general perceive themselves as cutting edge of the technology. PS Not edge, it's a method. But, sounds solid. However, just now Jon Corbet was able to say that Linux has caught all previously available OSes (*nixes to be more precise, they perceive catching others not honorable) and is not chasing taillights anymore. Cool thing is that Linux can choose which problems to solve now, but not that it's new for them. Generally the same goes for other OSS projects.

And please, do understand right what is meant by "cutting edge". Linux is not about inventing something new. Linux is a layer of software code needed for hardware (ups, metal) world to be able to interact with user applications (software), not even humans themselves. So there is no plans and no direction they go, Linux and it's direction is defined by where metal goes and where humans go. Linus has spoken! And he is happy about it!

What is the coolest thing about Linux (OSS approach to be more precise) - this is the right method for humanity how to put minds together in order to create something big in terms of software. And, maybe not just software. Method has caught, even Microsoft has acknowledged this and has become sponsor of Linux Foundation. Which was a bit funny about folks wondering about it and being more than a bit surprised and unsure how to digest the fact.

Interesting that OSS approach has born open hardware idea. Be aware that this is about sharing hardware designs and by no means DO NOT expect that hardware is going to be free. For free, to be more precise. Software you can write out of the thin air, but hardware you will buy or dig out sweating.

Linux being the first very serious thing made by OSS approach makes it very special, but there is much much MUCH more in the future ahead.

I'll cut it here. Not that I have nothing more to say, but… I'm really tired of writing this article. Most things are told. Dot.

PS If you feel I have ignostically danced on some altars, please unfollow me on twitter and never come back.