| Linux Goes to the Movies |
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| 1.) Stephenson¡¯s characterization of Linux users is somewhat similar to the popular conception of Linux users. He casts them as people who are enthusiastic, almost zealous about their operating system, and as people who think outside the box. He also portrays them as being Techno-savvy and tinkers, and as people who have the ¡®better good¡¯ in mind. |
| 2.) Stephenson likens Linux to a tank. He points out that it almost never crashes, and that it is the most stable operating system on a home PC. He also points out that it¡¯s a free operating system, and that the operating system can run windows programs in an emulator, and is, in fact, more powerful from a programming perspective than either Windows or the Mac OS. He attributes the fact that others neglect to use these operating systems due to the fact that people tend to stick with what seems easy and familiar, and to the fact that people want stuff that looks slick and dazzles them visually, which Linux does not. |
| 3.) Linux users typically choose to use it because it has less complications and seems to be more reliable. The people who are using it to make movies are those who know how to use Linux for all of it's capabilitis. Like Stephenson says, the users are techno-savvy. However, the people who ventured into using Linux for making movies seem to be in the process of experimenting. The few, but growing number of people who use Linux on a day-to-day basis seem to be more technologically advanced than the typical computer user. These people are intersted in gettting the job done, and not having to upgrade hardware. Linux allows them to not have to buy expensive specialized equipment dedicated to their work. The VFX industry wanted a more efficent and cheaper way of doing things, just like the Mac users (that Stephenson talked about) who switched to Linux so they could by cheap interchangeable IBM hardware. |
| 4.) The appeal to Linux was the programs openness. The resources for Linux were already in place thus providing those already in the industry with fewer headaches. The industry allows for the innovative use of Linux. Stephenson thought of Linux as a powerful form a programming perspective and this industry is trying to push it to its limit. Linux is chosen due to the fact that it gets the job done, cheaply and effectively. Linux allows the VFX industry to more efficiently use "render farms" where the animators and artists can work at the same time on the same network. |
| 5.) There is definelty some middle ground where the open source world and the business world can meet. Business and Industries are about property and copy rights. However, if they can't solve problems that let them finish their projects then they are no better off with that privacy. The business community can reach the middle ground and is no worse off, if they allow outsiders to solve problems that aren't central to what they do. The people who Stephenson described, will always exsist. These will probably be more of the extremes of the open source population as people move toward the middle ground on the business issue. Linux was designed to be efficient and most people from the open source world will respect industries for choosing to head in that direction. |