APC administrator06 June 2006, 1:45 AM
First the Lenovo chief said the company was dropping Linux from its OEM line of computers, after IBM had spent years fostering adoption of desktop Linux. Now the company says that's not quite true: it will still install Linux on notebooks if customers provide their own licence. We say: what the...?
When I read the CRN report about Lenovo dropping Linux, I was angry. That special kind of angry where the other staff hide and only venture out to the kitchen or bathroom if wearing a kevlar vest.
IBM put a lot of effort into positioning itself as the laptop-maker for Linux, and to see that being undone so soon into the deal was really heartbreaking. It seemed like yet another brainless move from Lenovo, who hasn't had the best track record as far as business sense lately.
However, now CNET is reporting that rumours of the honeymoon being prematurely cashed in for an afternoon at the greyhounds are greatly exaggerated.
Let's look at this critically.
This is the original quote from Frank Kardonski of Lenovo:
"We will not have models available for Linux, and we do not have custom order, either... What you see is what you get. And at this point, it's Windows."
The company is now saying that this is incorrect and that it will happily install any Linux distribution on an OEM Thinkpad, but will not provide licences to customers who wish for them to do so. Customers are required to obtain their own licences.
To turn a phrase, erm... huh?
The Linux kernel is licensed under the GPL, meaning that anyone who wants to run GNU/Linux only needs to obtain a copy of the software and they have obtained a license. So if Lenovo pre-installed Ubuntu (for example), the customer would be granted a (very generous) licence and the actual software simultaneously.
Clause 6 of the GPL states:
"Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein. You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties to this License."
There are, certainly, operating systems which utilise the Linux kernel which contain non-GPL software, and use commercial licensing schemes. The maintainers of these distros do sell licenses, usually entitling you to a support contract with them by doing so. However, this is a pitifully small part of the overall Linux family (although certainly a growing one).
So to say that the stance from Lenovo is confusing is an understatement. Does it mean that customers who wish to have a fully FLOSS GNU/Linux distribution preinstalled on a Thinkpad are required to download an ISO, tell Lenovo about it, and then they'll install the OS? Or will those users have to either buy a commercial Linux distribution seperately, or replace the default Windows XP install when the laptop arrives? And if it's the latter, will the company also begin offering laptops without an OS to these customers?
Considering the coded messages being sent out by both Lenovo and Novell about deals to arrive in the future, it could simply be an attempt to muddy the waters before the arrival of what many in the Linux community would see as a Very Good Thing™: Thinkpads being sold with Suse Enterprise Desktop Linux. Expect more clarifications in the next few days.