Businesses Slow to Adopt Linux

milenko81 and several others submitted this CNET story about corporate spending on information technology. The reporter seems to interpret it negatively because Fortune 1000 companies aren't dumping Microsoft 100% and going for Linux. But interpret it as you will.

Comments

Re:It's the price, stupid!

[SPiKe]

>One last issue: MCSEs are a dime a dozen. Any >moron can administer a Windows network

>The proportion of people that can adminster a >Linux server vs. those that can admin MS is >huge. Probably thousands to one.

A lot of the guys that can do Windows correctly are guys that do Unix correctly.

I've met the exceptions, but they are rare.

A good admin is a good admin is a good admin. All one has to do is force yourself to think outside of just one particular mindset.

We all can offer Linux solutions

[korpiq]

This is what I'm doing:

• practice nice, low-tone, clear-speech advocacy from the clients' point of view rather than technical (total costs,reliability,security)
  
• find a small/medium-size company in need of firewall/file+printer-sharing services
  
• offer a box that does it all, guaranteed, with remote administration when needed, with unbeatable price
  
• check out their needs and environment (SMB password encryption, for instance) and find technical solutions (usually someone has done it already)
  
• install debian, samba, netatalk, apache, lprng
  
• set up netfilter accompanied with squid and postfix to drop dangerous attachments/scripts if sold as a firewall to secure windowses
  
• set up a SIMPLE internal webpage for user account management (ask me)
  
• offer enhancements like RDBMS, extranet (ftp/http-download) - what can we come up with?
  
• repeat until world.domination() == TOTAL
  

Coming up next year or so:

• test out the Linux office packets, make up a desktop solution for office use
  
• promote a solution with 100MB switched LAN, diskless workstations booting from server, centrally, remotely administrated for low cost
  
• remember to spread FUD about viruses ;)
  

I'd do it more given time and customer contacts (best advertisement you can have is a happy customer talking about you to its clients.)

Share administration burden (what? doing something wrong?) with trusted friends.
Take a fair price for your work, but avoid greed.

This can and should be done as a side-job, unless you get very successful in the long term.

Only fix what's broken, security hole, or a client-requested enhancement or new service. Never say "can't do", say "I'll look into it" and go for the web; Never say "you can't afford it", say "I'd be forced to hire people for approximately $this much money, would you like to try something else instead?"

I could go on for hours, but you'll find it all out once you start thinking about it.

Make difference where you can.