Ford To Move To Linux

KingDaveRa writes "The Register is reporting that motor giant Ford is switching to Linux for its sales systems, human resources, customer relations and infrastructure, referencing a report in yesterday's Scotland on Sunday. According to The Register, the biggest battle was over which Linux vendor to use - RedHat or SuSE." Update: 09/16 01:51 GMT by T : An anonymous reader points to this NewsForge report, according to which Ford is not moving to Linux.

Comments

It makes a lot of sense.

[Valar]

For the purposes of any company, there are some good reasons to use linux. Firstly, you can often increase security. Secondly, you can reduce hardware costs, compared to windows. Thirdly, your employees probably won't be able to figure out how to play minesweeper on company time :)

No Brainer

[Brahmastra]

If I were an IT manager, this is exactly what I would do. It is a cheaper option and more secure IF the administrator knows what he is doing. I would still keep Windows clients for the marketing and sales people so that they can create powerpoint presentations and smear bullshit everywhere to sell stuff

Re:What about Burlington in 1999?

[chef_raekwon]

Is anyone going to listen to Ford?

with the current state of Ford Vehicles...I'd say No.

I dare SCO

[earthforce_1]

to try sending Ford an invoice!

Come on Darl! :-D

Re:They'll come crying back

[TimmyJoeB]

I am a Ford Customer and I have never sent a Word, Excel or Powerpoint document to them. I would doubt that any Ford customer would send them a Word, Excel or Powerpoint document. Suppliers are going to have to adjust if Ford does this throughout their organization.

Re:What about Burlington in 1999?

[WindBourne]

Apparently no one listened.

Amazon, IBM, Walmart, and now Ford. The first 3 run profits during a time when many companies went out fo business. I would say some are listening.

It's a trend that suits almost everyone

[JusTyler]

I agree. The trend to produce major applications based on "the Web" (a term I find hard to use when referring to, say, intranets, but will accept) is one that benefits almost everyone.

We're in an age when even the smallest hardware store can buy a highly reliable Linux server and have MySQL and Apache running on it for under $500. All you need then is the software that'll keep your stock inventory, and the equipment to network your existing -- probably low spec -- PCs up, and off you go.

Web apps are beautiful in the way that small ma-and-pa outfits don't necessarily need to upgrade their crusty old 200MHz PCs bought in 1995. All they need is a Web browser (and perhaps some proprietary format to handle checkout scanners, and the like), and with a small investment in a server, they're up and running.

Re:Application programming is a dying paradigm

[Richthofen80]

Yeah, except if it is, its the worst move ever. Compiled programs are still what run mission critical software. They're faster and more reliable. And its not as if the web still works the same on everyone's PC. Opera and Mozilla and IE6 might give three much different appearances to the same page.

I use a web-based call tracking application in my IT job. Its slow, buggy, and not enterprise worthy by any standard.

Re:What about Burlington in 1999?

[garcia]

great, these people will be using Linux desktops. How many of them use some sort of full-screened terminal application to access the information anyway?

Banks (while running OS/2 on the desktop) use full-screened VT-102 terminal emulators to access the bank's server. Have we ever seen those employees running to OS/2 because they used it at work?

Re:Servers not Workstations

[codepunk]

Now how am I supposed to believe a anonymous coward.

Re:Where do you want to go today?

[rusty0101]

Or, as in all too many cases,

Reinstall

-Rusty

I agree, biggest win yet

[Ridgelift]

"That makes Ford's defection to Linux the biggest potential threat to Microsoft in the software developer's 28-year history"

Yeah, I agree. Microsoft has lost all credibility in the public eye for their ability to fix their permanently defective product line (watched the Comedy channels lately? Comedians are getting laughs at Microsoft's expense). Windows is simply getting in the way of people doing their work (updates, upgrades, security patch, REPEAT!).

Ford's a big name brand company, it's American as apple pie, and has nothing to do with technology. That Microsoft couldn't hang on to them speaks to the value proposition of Linux over Windows. To restate the quote above another way, this is the biggest win for Linux to date.

When Does An Avalanche Begin?

[4of12]

When Ballmer lost the Munich deal and went for an extended ski holiday in Switzerland, he already knew what was coming.

With all the licensing pain, arm-twisting upgrades, incompatible Office formats, treadmills from last year and the worms from this year, the momentum will gather and feed itself.

As more companies, governments and educational institutions worldwide adopt Linux, there will be more coders and money to make Linux more usable and an even more favorable migration path for users.

Two years from now everyone will be amazed except for the zealots who will be shaking their heads wondering "What took it so long?".

Re:Not calvin

[senahj]

> Those stickers you see all over are not Calvin of Calvin and hobbes fames.
> They are similear, but different enough to not infringe.

They infringe.

People who buy and display them are beneath contempt -- they pollute the memory of The Greatest Comic Strip Evar Bar None.

OTOH, it's sort of a benefit that barbarians who either unaware of such considerations or who don't care publicly identify themselves in this way -- a little like the busty chrome silhouette commonly seen on the backs of trucks, which concisely convey the message "Driver Is Neanderthal".

"There's treasure everywhere." Calvin