Posted on 02/03/2006 1:39:00 PM PST by Golden Eagle
Those same tools are available for people here in the US as well. Even YOU can download (for free - as in beer) DB2 Express for your own use. The only limits are: up to 2 dual core processors and 4GB of RAM. Otherwise you can service as large, and as many a database(s), and any number of users that the hardware limitations can reasonably accomodate.
I guess perhaps that you find it somehow un-American for an American company to provide development tools to people, the world over, to learn to develop applications for their products and services.
Oh, and last time I checked; IBM has customers the world over. Perhaps they should shun the rest of the world and just concentrate on the US. Would that satisfy you?
As a stockholder I wouldn't be pleased.
No... try again; what I said was if its wrong to give something to someone its wrong to sell it to them and vice-versa.
I know, I created an entire thread about this one time too. But IBM has ~ the same number of employees in China that Microsoft does worldwide, not to mention just sold them the entire PC division to them, instantly making the Chinese government one of the top three manufacturers in the world. China and Russia (and Iran, Cuba, Vietnam, etc) are all using open source as well, not U.S. products like Apple and Microsoft, since they are getting that for free.
We're seeing two distinct lines forming, between U.S. "protectorates" Apple, Microsoft, and Intel, verses "internationalists" IBM, Sun and AMD. Just like free trade, there's a significant split in philosophy, and future vision of America.
For questioning technology transfers between countries, at a time of war?
I guess perhaps that you find it somehow un-American for an American company to provide development tools to people, the world over
For free? Yeah, that is a little un-American.
As a stockholder I wouldn't be pleased.
IBM stockholders know what's best for the USA? Then why aren't most of their employees on our soil?
Huh?
You mean to tell me that Apple, Mirco$oft and INtel ONLY sell to and manufacture here in the US?
Funny, I seem to recall reading about a big fab plant Intel was building over in China. And Bill Gates gave them the source for Windoze. And I'm sure Apple has chicom made hardware in their machines.
Try again.
So you don't have a problem with just giving it to them then. Why didn't you just say so? Now we can get on to whether you think it was wrong to control exports in the past. You think that was all a mistake too, right?
You saying that we should give away our possessions misses the point entirely. I don't give away my possessions because I want everything to be free as in beer. That's just simply nonsense. But I do release the TI programs, as well as the documentation I've written under an open-source license (GPLv2) because I know people can use what I have as a base, and somewhere down the line, I can get an improved product--it goes full-circle.
By releasing code as Open Source, IBM is hoping to tap into the knowledge base of Russian programmers--which in the end can lead to an increase in sales overseas. Why? Open-Source programming is a powerful resource that drive innovation. Innovation keeps companies alive by increasing sales.
Russia, China, and the Mideast are increasing their industrial output--the demand for computer equipment is extremely high, and for professionals the demand is skyrocketing.
In the end, IBM's making a wise move by tapping their resources, but you just won't admit it.
Just pointing out the obvious. Apple/Microsoft/Intel technologies are huge in the US, but are losing share in places like China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, Vietnam, places where open source and anti-US alternatives are taking root.
IBM is behind most of it, they still have it out for Microsoft and Intel, and Apple has now broke from IBM completely and partnered with Intel. Meanwhile IBM and Sun share Java, partner with Japanese companies and push AMD and Power and Sparc in their systems. All of this is fairly well known, surely you knew.
What if Apple and Intel invested in OSS? Would that make them bad too? In Your Opinion, of course it would--because OSS is evil.
Isn't that a very biased generalization--almost like the Orwellian "four legs good, two legs bad" from Animal Farm?
And like I said; those tools are free for even you and your lowly windoze box. You can Download it and see for yourself.
Go ahead and give it a try. You too can add a new skill set to your resume by learning to code and administer for DB2, and then you can get a real job and stop kissing Mr. Gates behind.
It might, but depending on what IBM gives up they may not have any control or legal right into that process. The Russians can take IBM's gifts, if they are released under the GPL open source license (standard), and resell them under a name like "holy motherland software, whithout paying a dime for it, since IBM gave them away.
In the end, IBM's making a wise move by tapping their resources, but you just won't admit it.
"Tapping their resources"? Hardly. We are being the resource for them. And for free. If we were "tapping their resources", we would be getting something from them. You do understand the phrase?
If someone wants to write their own code they can do with it what they please, that includes MS. You seem to be the one who created moral differentials between selling and giving to communist..
I Love the AMD chips. With the exception of my Pentium IV IBM T30 laptop (before the sale to china but made in china just the same) all my home (built) systems are AMD Athalons. Great, kick butt processors. I'm currently looking at a dual core AMD 64 X2 3800+ and motherboard selling at Fry's for around $279 to upgrade one of those systems. Thanks for reminding me.
No, not IBM the company, just their PC division. I'm kinda pissed that the Thinkpads were included (I hate Dell/Compac/GP/Gateway). They still make their own big iron, and chips.
Sorry but you're really having trouble keeping up with the discussion. I suggest you read my posts more carefully, attempt to comprehend the big picture theories put forth, think, then maybe post. Open source is simply a tool that is being used to standardize the world on a U.N. based overall system.
D'oh.... GP=HP
"You misunderstand. It's not IBM's job to help America and Americans. IBM's job is to help IBM."
Yeah, they helped IBM by selling card sorting machines to the Nazi's prior to WWII too.
I'd have been concerned if they were doing it during WWII.
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