<OT>Ken Thompson slams Linux

[Alan Mead <adm ipat com>]

I got this from a friend who works for Microsoft.  Apparently, this been
circulating within MS.  I was wondering if anyone had a comment about it.
I've never used Linux on anything other than a PC. - Alan
---------------------
Not exactly a glowing endorsment of our stuff, but at least he tells it like
it is with Linux.  The good stuff follows (get the whole thing at
http://computer.org/computer/thompson.htm
<http://computer.org/computer/thompson.htm> ).

Computer: In a sense, Linux is following in this tradition. Any thoughts on
this phenomenon?

Thompson: I view Linux as something that's not Microsoft-a backlash against
Microsoft, no more and no less. I don't think it will be very successful in
the long run. I've looked at the source and there are pieces that are good
and pieces that are not. A whole bunch of random people have contributed to
this source, and the quality varies drastically.

My experience and some of my friends' experience is that Linux is quite
unreliable. Microsoft is really unreliable but Linux is worse. In a non-PC
environment, it just won't hold up. If you're using it on a single box,
that's one thing. But if you want to use Linux in firewalls, gateways,
embedded systems, and so on, it has a long way to go.

---
Alan D. Mead  /  Research Scientist  /  adm ipat com
Institute for Personality and Ability Testing
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