As the story is usually told, Luther's 95 Theses set off sweeping changes throughout Europe. But Germany's princes realized that his ideas could be used to throw off the yoke of the Catholic Church. Cast Intel as the German princes and Bill Gates as the pope, and you'll see where I'm headed. You don't need to ascribe to the tenets of Torvalds to be a Linux advocate. But when you change the balance of power, things really start happening.
Allegiances shift with the wind.
Fortunes are made and lost. That's what the Lintel Reformation is really about. So it might be a good idea to stop talking about the doctrines of Linux and start concentrating on the power of Lintel. Whether you adopt his open-source theology or not, Linus Torvalds' operating system could mean unprecedented power and independence for IT for many years to come. Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved.