>Are you telling me that hundreds, if not thousands of people have contributed
>code to the Linux kernel ? How many of them could fix a problem with (say)
>virtual memory or debug an obscure SMP problem ? The weight of numbers maybe
>comforting, but expertise in any particular part may be limited to a handful
>of people.
That's not the point. If you need help with an obscure SMP problem or
virtual memory and want _free_ support, you're right. If you are
willing to pay for it, then there are lots of people willing to deal
with such problems. Give me a multiprocessor machine and a support
contract and I will start debugging every obscure problem for you. The
main point is, that I and many other people must do something for a
living and so they have to spend most of their time for work that pays
and only spare time for such problems. If I can actually make a
living with Linux Kernel Debugging (and not with rebooting LoseNT), I
will happily do it. But if I can't, then I must find something else
and squeeze the "fun stuff" into my spare time. TANSTAAFL.
>Darren
>p.s. That Caldera is providing Linux support is news to my ears. It will
>be interesting to see if they become like other vendors doing Unix support,
>over time.
They can't. A major part of their product is under GPL so they must
give you the sources on request. I see them more moving into the
Cygnus direction (Heavy supporting of GPLed software and some
commercial bits). This does not mean that they won't earn any money.
Ciao
Henning (Doing commercial Linux and Sol. Support for a living)
-- Dipl.-Inf. Henning P. Schmiedehausen -- priv: henning@forge.franken.de TANSTAAFL! Consulting - Unix, Internet, Security ges: hps@tanstaafl.deWestl. Stadtmauerstrasse 52 Tel.: 09131 / 81297-0 "There ain't no such D-91054 Erlangen Fax.: 09131 / 81297-20 thing as a free lunch"