One Small Step For NASA, One Giant Leap For Open Source

"When you really need performance/weight as in the space program, who are you going to call: an OS designed by salesmen in secret and in league with hardware suppliers," asked blogger Robert Pogson, "or an OS designed by computer geeks trying hard in the open to get the last bit of performance and reliability out of hardware?"

"Space: the final frontier." These may be the opening words of the Star Trek series so loved by geeks far and wide, but lately, they've been on the tip of more Linux bloggers' tongues than ever. 

Why? Because Linux recently scored a major victory some 230 miles up in the sky. Specifically, Windows got the big heave-ho from the International Space Station, which has now boldly gone on to embrace Linux instead.