[KLUG Advocacy] Netware Apache, PHP, and MySQL

Adam Williams advocacy@kalamazoolinux.org
04 Jan 2003 17:22:25 -0500


>Just curious what people's thoughts are on Novell's announcement of
>supporting Apache, PHP, and MySQL on their NetWare platform.

I think my biology teacher way back when called this "convergent
evolution".

If you've been watching Novell system for awhile they have been becoming
progressively more and more Linux/UNIX like.  If you quickly glanced at
a booting Novell box you might very well think it was a RedHat Linux box
with the green "OK"s in square braces as it starts, etc...  So it isn't
surprising.

As far as how I feel about it technically?  Why eat the hot dog when you
can have the steak?  I imagine these are much like PHP, Apache, and
MySQL for Win32 - bolted on,  without the cozy-at-home feeling that a
product like Apache exudes when running on a UNIX box.  But I haven't
actually used any of these products on Novell.

As far as how I feel about Novell's "Linux Emulation" moves?  Too
little, too slow, and way too late.  The sun has set for Novell,  it is
just a question of how long till the vampires show up.

Overall it is interesting.  AIX 5L?  That L stands for Linux. 
*EVERYTHING* I have moved over from my Linux workstation has compiled
without a hitch.  And it even comes with openssl, samba, apache,
mozilla, etc...

Sun has muttered about making the same level of compatibility in
Solaris.

Max OS X is based on BSD, Linux's kissing cousin.  It supports PAM,
Apache, Samba, OpenLDAP, etc....

"convergent evolution"

The question is: Whether once all these chiwawas stitch themselves into
one big dog, can it take on the beast and its minions?  (That would be
Microsoft and congress).  Fortunately one doesn't even need to buy
tickets to watch that fight. :)