Under the Radar

Money talks and when it does people listen. Even those with no interest in computers buy Bill Gates' musings, and judging by early sales of Under the Radar, the phenomenon extends to Microsoft's most significant OS competitor, Linux.

The book attempts to tell the story of RedHat's rise to fame and fortune, although the fortune has only been achieved through a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO) - the company has yet to show a profit. It isn't about Linux and assumes no knowledge of it - indeed, the book contains occasional info-dumps that try to explain important points about Open Source development. Instead, co-author Robert Young, CEO of RedHat, explains a little about why he started the company and why he thinks Linux is important, and even more about RedHat's growth and the process of getting corporate backing and investment.

Under the Radar explains how RedHat has focused on the corporate server market. In business, recognition and credibility have greater importance than technical merit, so RedHat has aimed to attract mainstream partners such as IBM, Dell, Compaq and Digital, both for financial backing and to bundle RedHat with their products. There's also fleeting mention of other distributions and NT, and the memorable line: 'I'm certain that some day Windows NT will be a good operating system.'

Young explains the business model for a company that sells free software, stressing the importance of other revenue streams such as training, service and support. Unlike building a distribution, these require large teams of personnel, which RedHat initially didn't have. The huge cost of this forced growth explains the company's aggressive business policies.

One of the most interesting sections deals with RedHat's attempts to extend the benefits of the IPO to the many developers which contributed to Linux. Unfortunately, this backfired since many developers weren't allowed to buy stocks as they lived in other countries, or were excluded by the Securities and Exchange Committee's requirements.

Under the Radar isn't quite what you might expect. It reads more like an attempt to justify the company's moves than a business emperor's war memoirs. Still, it offers fascinating insights into one of the most interesting and fastest-moving sectors of the PC business. What's more, it's in a good cause - all royalties go to the Free Software Foundation.

Author: Liam Proven