
IT runs on the cloud, and the cloud runs on Linux - alxsanchez
http://www.zdnet.com/article/it-runs-on-the-cloud-and-the-cloud-runs-on-linux-any-questions/
======
nine_k
I love the smell of sweeping generalizations in the morning.

In the future we should expect growing concerns about Linux monoculture —
though much less serious than it used to be with desktop Windows monoculture.

~~~
mikeash
It worries me, but definitely less than with Windows. The lock-in factor is a
lot lower with Linux. With Windows, once you invested in the infrastructure
you were pretty much stuck there for life. If you switched, you'd need all new
software and maybe all new hardware (if your alternative was Macs).

With Linux, most of your software runs out of the box on other platforms. If
you want to switch to FreeBSD, it's a fairly shallow learning curve and you
can be back where you were before too long. If you want to try out Macs, you
can run most of the same stuff on them, and switch slowly. Even Windows can
run the same software.

~~~
WayneBro
With Bash on Windows you'll be able to run Linux apps on Windows too. So, if
that works out Windows lock-in would be about even with macOS. Lower, if it
works really well since hardware is no issue. But that's as a desktop
workstation.

This is about the cloud and servers, so Macs don't really apply. Despite the
apparent lock-in, Windows is still a great server choice for small and medium
sized businesses, even in the cloud. Switching away from say SQL Server to
something like Postres isn't that hard. Things only get difficult if you use
features like Active Directory integrated authentication, Sharepoint
integration, Exchange, etc.

EDIT: I wouldn't switch though. Not for a cloud app that is to be managed by
most small IT departments that I run into. SQL Server is so much easier to
work with and manage than Postgres due to many seemingly insignificant
features including a kick-ass GUI, stored procedures, returning multiple
resultsets from a single round-trip query and the fact that it runs on
Windows, which is still the number one OS used by the market that I serve,
even in the cloud (but mostly for B2B or operations). These are the same sort
of reasons that I build their back-ends in IIS/ASP.NET (despite the fact that
I also use Node.js heavily for my own projects and I even use it to generate
static files for my ASP.NET projects).

~~~
x5n1
Great in theory not so great in reality. I really doubt bash on Windows is
going to be all that great and that Linux support is going to be that great
either. Microsoft is going to half-ass it because that's not their core
competency and it never will be. It's just a shady business tactic to try to
win users that are no longer interested in their platform.

~~~
WayneBro
> Great in theory not so great in reality.

OK. How exactly? Any details? Tried it?

Your comment is light on facts, heavy on opinion.

> Microsoft is going to half-ass it because that's not their core
> competency...

Gee, I thought building software for Windows was Microsoft's core competency.

> It's just a shady business tactic...

I suppose then that you must also think that Wine is just some shady "Open
Source tactic" to try and get Windows users on Linux?

Maybe you prefer your half-assed software to come from Apple or from the
general crowd of Open Source developers. That you have seething hatred for
Microsoft is obvious though. Did they kill your pappy?

~~~
johnchristopher
Haven't tried it out yet but does it handle `grep "string" *txt -r` like it
should ? Last time I checked it didn't get recursivity.

------
gjkood
No love for FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc? Doesn't the cloud run on the internet? What
does the internet run on? Is it primarily Linux? Is it turtles all the way
down?

~~~
marcosdumay
Infrastructure runs mostly on Linux. Just try finding a BSD based router.

It is indeed turtles all the way down. What is most unfortunate because Linux
does not have the best security record around.

~~~
drzaiusapelord
>Infrastructure runs mostly on Linux.

Uh, no. Telecom infrastructure is routers and switches by proprietary vendors
like Cisco, Adtran, etc. The world's fiber isn't connected to some kid's linux
or pfsense box for routing. Its connected to a RTOS that's battle-tested,
supported, etc.

~~~
marcosdumay
Hum... not that much.

I partially take back my comment, but only because there were plenty of
vendors using BSD. As much as I would wish it to be a micro-kernel RTOS with
just the needed functionality, it often isn't.

~~~
drzaiusapelord
Yeah maybe when it reaches Ma and Pa's Cloud hosting service, but the internet
itself, as in the big telecom companies are not running things on a janky BSD
box. They're using RTOS based equipment from vendors with strict SLAs, lots of
redundancy, etc.

------
herge
I wonder if the cloud runs on Linux, or just it runs on the most common
operating system where you do not have to pay for each individual license?

How hard would it be for developers/IT departments to play around with linux
if instead of just downloading a base image from the cloud, they had to deal
with buying a license and more importantly managing whatever tool that makes
sure you are paying a license for each docker setup you use?

~~~
FussyZeus
Being a slowly recovering Windows based shop, I can say with confidence that
we don't have issues with paying for licenses, but far more often with getting
Microsoft products to activate correctly.

We don't here, but I do know that it's a regular occurrence for Enterprise to
use pirated versions of Windows and Office while holding many more licenses
than they need legally, simply because the activation and licensing software
embedded in Microsoft products just straight up sucks.

"Need to rebuild a Windows machine? Oh your key doesn't work with this
particular version of Windows, sorry. Yes I know it's an identical version but
it's an OEM key not a retail key."

Steam hacked the motives of most people who pirated games by making the games
easy to buy and the licenses totally invisible to the user. Meanwhile I had to
format my Surface Pro and had to call to activate Windows. To clarify: I had
to CALL SUPPORT, to activate WINDOWS on hardware that Microsoft commissioned,
manufactured, and sold under their own brand and that's ABSURD.

~~~
BrockSamson
I also had to call support to activate Windows on a Surface 3. In total I
spoke to 6 Microsoft representatives and only 2 had any idea what I was
talking about. I was asked to reboot the computer and go to the BIOS by one of
the reps. I was also told that the licence I had was an OEM one so I would
have to contact the manufacturer (yes this was from MS licence activation
support)

------
gcb0
servers are commodities now. let dell and ibm worry about that.

Microsoft is rigt being busy trying to catch up on personal devices.

~~~
amaks
What personal devices, smartphones?

~~~
gcb0
the jury is still out on that.

microsoft think its tablets with surface.

apple rode the iphone wave and is covering tablets now with ipad pro.

amazon thinks its always on devices at home.

google just throw money at everything everyone else does and see if the money
sticks.

------
adrianN
Even though Flash is disabled, this site plays three video ads and isn't
finished loading after three minutes and 350 requests. All for 15 paragraphs
of actual content. Horrible.

~~~
TeMPOraL
[http://i.imgur.com/v4QOYbf.png](http://i.imgur.com/v4QOYbf.png)

Annoying as it sometimes is, I'm starting to love uMatrix.

~~~
ymse
Having used uMatrix for years now, I can't imagine browsing without it.

A couple of tips for your ruleset:

* disable first-party plugins (flash, PDF)

* enable first-party "other" (html5 video, audio)

I also enable various CDNs globally, i.e. scripts from cloudflare cdnjs, and
frames/video from youtube and vimeo. Though I don't really recommend this if
security/privacy is a concern. At least they won't get your cookies :)

Edit: oops, just noticed you accept first-party everything. Still, disabling
plugins should prevent a wide class of exploits (see recent Chrome PDF
vulnerability).

~~~
TeMPOraL
Thanks for the tip! I've been using it for just a month or so, so I'm
relatively inexperienced :). So far I've been only whitelisting youtube/vimeo
CDNs and Cloudflare endpoints on a case-by-case basis.

I've learned some interesting things with uMatrix. Like, on Twitter page, the
password field of the login box doesn't work unless you let the site download
some script (the username box works fine)...

------
shaftway
Best. Cloud-to-Butt. Article. Ever.

"Like it or lump it, my butt is taking over IT. We've seen the rise of my butt
over in-house IT for years now. And, what powers my butt? Linux."

