Revolution OS

J.T.S. Moore
Wonderview Productions, LLC
website


The story of Linux writ large (widescreen format, no less). J.T.S. Moore has produced as comprehensive a documentary of the development of linux as can be expected in an hour and half of running time. Moore focuses on the philosophy of open source software and the history of GNU/FSF in parallel with the growth of the linux user community. Given the depth and complexity of the past 30 years of open source, the film is naturally a high level view. Interviews with Richard Stallman (founder of the Free Software Foundation and the GNU Project), Eric Raymond (author of "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" and kernel hacker), Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux), Bruce Perens (Primary author "Open Source Definition", Debian/Gnu Project Leader, founder of several linux organizations, Senior Strategist at HP), Michael Tiemann (founder Cygnus Solutions), and Larry Augustin (founder VA Linux) are interspersed with coverage of conventions and an brief trip to Stanford (with Augustin).

The interviews are very well done, and Moore jumps from one to another and back in a fairly logical manner, giving most time to Stallman, Raymond, and Augustin (likely due to the limited availablity of other as this was filmed during the peak of the dot com bubble). Some of the location camera work is shaky, but the composition in interviews is quite nice, and there are quite a few humorous moments. Raymond recounting his first brush with Craig Mundie (Microsoft) is priceless, and Linus presenting Stallman with $25,000 at Linux Expo is an interesting tableau.The film necessarily focuses on the philosophical underpinnings of open source, though it does delve into some degree of technical aspects. Linus' observation that users should never see the operating system and the contrasting approaches to the monolithic Linux kernel -vs- the distributed HURD kernel are enlightening, while the GNU/Linux vs Linux issue is dealt with in short order though it keeps recurring (as it does still in daily life).

Moore also highlights the business advantages of Open Source, largely through Augustin, Tiemann, and Brian Behlendorf (Apache), noting the advantages of Apache over competing products, as well as the performance advantages of Linux on commodity hardware relative to high priced workstations (particularly Sun). Tiemann talks a good deal about the support issue, which is probably the most important one facing Linux in terms of corporate acceptance and opines that ROI on Open Source is far superior to that of closed source. Throughout, Moore builds the thread of freedom to share source and build community, relying heavily on Stallman and Perens, though he also uses Raymond among others to dispel the idea that Open Source = Communisim. Raymond is particularly vehement on this issue, as one might expect.

The IPOs of Red Hat and VA Linux as well as the linux focus on CNBC are covered, as is Windows Refund Day to great comedic effect.The film ends by noting the effect of the dot bomb on Linux companies and then runs a song (the title of which I didn't catch) performed by an interesting assorment of hackers (in the MIT sense of the term), with lyrics by Richard Stallman.