Since many developers are writing free and open source tools for Linux, well, many free and open source tools are available for Linux. The cost of entry to development is low, and thus there are free applications competing with each other on Sourceforge. (E.g. Gallery, one of my favorites.) There are even free development tools and IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) for Linux.
Microsoft and Sun have now realized that having many developers working on your platforms could help sell them. Microsoft’s IDE, Visual Studio, has a free version, as well as a free version of its latest SQL server, SQL 2005. While it doesn’t have all the features of the full version, it’s pretty good, and will allow you to develop applications on Microsoft platforms.
Sun has also responded to the Linux development juggernaut, but has bet the farm. Sun has some of the most mature and detailed tools in the developer world. Until recently, they were expensive. Now you can download them free when you join the Sun Developer Network, which is also free, but you have to register. Sun has gone further than Microsoft, making nearly all of its operating system software free as well. Sun is also doing its best, as is Microsoft, to create a friendly space for developers.
Sun is betting the farm because, despite the quality of its products, Sun was about to become irrelevant in the face of the dot Net – Linux battle. Linux is free, but dot Net presents a friendlier interface and more standards. Sun’s tools were even more expensive than dot Net.
Whatever your choice for development, it’s a great time to be a developer. The Internet is getting interesting again. This year may be the one when the hype returns.
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