The Cloud is Just Another Sun

Linux and Free and Open Source software killed proprietary UNIXes in bare metal data centers and went on to dominate cloud services to such a point that it has even caused Microsoft to completely change their stance and embrace Linux and Free and Open Source software or risk the future of Azure and arguably the future of their company. The FOSS community has seen this “network is the computer” pattern before with Sun Microsystems and Solaris–a proprietary UNIX operating system that administrators ultimately loaded up with GNU software and free software services before deploying to the data center. By remembering why Linux was important in the age of Solaris, we can apply those lessons to cloud services before their proprietary APIs and vendor lock-in risk undoing the freedom, open standards, and overall progress our community has made over the last 20 years.

Source: fosdem.org