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Memo Confirms IBM Move To Linux Desktop?
m5shiv writes "The Inquirer is reporting on an allegedly leaked internal memo from IBM CIO Bob Greenberg discussing IBM's move to a Linux desktop: 'Our chairman has challenged the IT organization, and indeed all of IBM, to move to a Linux based desktop before the end of 2005. This means replacing productivity, web access and viewing tools with open standards based equivalents.' The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
you'd think with all those developers using KDE or GNOME or whatever.. there'll be someone who re-invents the wheel again =P
The road between democracy and tyranny is paved with secrecy in the name of security.
Interesting, but I wonder who it was that leaked the info? I'd sure hate to be that person :)
Anyway, I'm glad that Linux is actually being recognized by large companies such as IBM as an option for this.
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Yes, in about 20 years big blue has changed from the evil empire (with some saying it was beeing challenged by upstart Microsoft-although I never would have thought) to a worthy comrade in open-source armor. Way to go, IBM, for taking the final plunge.
If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
A big company such as IBM switching to Linux is sure to bring good things to the community. Perhaps this is the first major step in bringing Linux to the desktop market.
Just think of how much better the 1990's could have been if the entire IBM organization pre-empted Windows 95 by 3.5 solid years.
I don't read or respond to AC posts
As i see it this can only serve to help encroach Linux on the user desktop OS market dominated by M$.
Think of it - if the whole of IBM starts using a well designed desktop system, i'm sure a lot of other companies will follow suit.
This really is what Linux needs - a HUGE and well known company using not only a Linux user dekstop system but also assocaited open source applications to get things done in everyday business, while managing NOT to use any M$ products whatsoever.
And if successful and I never thought I'd be saying this but it could be the beginning of the end of Microsoft's total dominance in the desktop OS market.
At a business level IBM is like a lot of other companies. So once they do it for themselves they will be in a prime position to resale the experience to there own customers. Not only do they get Linux for free but they stand to make a lot of money off this.
Does that mean there will be Linux version of the Notes client? IBM's whole internal communication and intranet applications depends heavily on Notes/Domino.
I remember a time when IBM was regarded with as much animosity as Microsoft is now -- perhaps even more so, but for different reasons. More recently, the geek-public opinion of IBM has begun to shift towards neutrality and an uneasy understanding -- where do we see IBM's role and public opinion going in the future, especially with their (seemingly) wholehearted adoption of open-source technologies?
filter: +3. Hey, look! all the trolls went away!
He shure looks like one!
Jokes apart, Gerstner put this guy on top and it's the one that managed the first sniffing ceremonies towards Linux. Do I see a pattern? Companies on the point of extinction like Apple and IBM (big companies... as far as mindshare and cultural relevance) literally resurrected the moment they embraced OSS and played by it's rules. Other companies like sun are fading away and nasty M$ (Yah, troll me... I'm spelling is M$... yes, I'm biased) is yapping in fear. Folks, it's our time. Old PHBs are retiring to Florida's golf resorts, the evangelized decision makers are making space for the new illuminati... I hate to say it, actually I'm not pleased by the "feast or fast" attitude of this industry, but the cosmological pendulum is swinging our way (I just hope I won't be put aside as these fools are today).
Mi domando chi à il mandante di tutte le cazzate che faccio - Altan
Bad news guys. As an IBMer, I can tell I'm still using Notes everyday by the blisters I get sitting on my butt waiting for it.
We don't use it for project management or expenses, though.
FWIW -- I never got the e-mail that started the whole thing and I'm in a position where it would show up in my inbox. There's no mention of it anywhere on the interal web either. This might be a hoax.
- Anonymous IBMer
This can't be so unexpected. They have a nice Linux commercial on tv, featuring (among others) Muhammad Ali advising an attentive little boy: "Speak your mind, and don't back down." So, IBM switching to Linux desktops....not so unexpected. My Daughter loves the linux commercial, It seems to equate the use of linux with all the worlds best in their respective fields of expertice. As though God himself runs linux, (provided by IBM, of course.)
Really, the commercial is so good, it brings tears to your eyes, especially if you are a long-suffering linux advocate of sorts in a sea of micro-idiots.
Actually, I worked at IBM when Uncle lou took over. It came close to knifing os/2 and releaseing the source code back then. Might have been interesting to see what would have happened had IBM done that.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Has anyone here seen PL/I? Or used JCL?
;-)
Yes to both, and I've also used PL/I. (As a matter of fact, I've done so on my Linux box right here, using the Hercules IBM/370 emulator -- but I've also done the real iron.)
And APL which originated at IBM.
That said, they've also come up with some pretty good stuff, just give me a minute to think of it... oh yeah, the Guidance and Control system for the Saturn V, for one
Seriously, that was the old IBM. Lately they've been much better at delivering what the customer wants rather than what IBM thinks the customer needs. IBM isn't going to create their own desktop -- especially not at this stage of the process, where this is deployment for internal use. And I imagine most of the custom client apps will be web and/or Java based.
Not that IBM doesn't know a thing or two about desktop design -- their CUA (Common User Access) object-oriented desktop architecture is/was great, one of the things that OS/2 fans still rave about (although IIRC the OS/2 desktop wasn't quite CUA).
-- Alastair
That may be, dude. And I wouldn't be shocked if IBM's Linux desktop solution is widely liked by the Slashdot crowd. But you have to admit that it's still a major step simply because it will draw a huge audience away from Windows, spurring more development by other companies for Linux. The users that then become experienced enough will probably stop using IBM's version in time, and the rest will still be using an OS that furthers Linux's reach.
ShaunDon
I don't understand the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" bit. So what, Apple made a big anti-IBM commecial back in 1984. Both Apple and NeXT embraced IBM by the late 80s and through-out the 90s.
:)
IBM created the PC and then basically "open sourced" the architecture. Who knows why they did this, because lots of people made big money off it, and IBM didn't see very much of that. So IBM made PS/2 and MCA(microchannel) and tried to wrestle the market back. Then they gave up and focused on providing business machines (servers). They kept starting and discontining their home computer lines. I can never remeber if they still make desktops, harddrives or laptops.
I'm not sure why IBM would be the enemy. They are pretty active in the open source community. They don't really "interfere" with our choices of systems.
Also I'm actually surprised to see this in the news. I foolishly assumed IBM already moved to using Linux a few years back. They seem to promote Linux enough at tradeshows and TV and magazine ads. I guess it's hard to promote Linux if you aren't willing to use it in your own company, perhaps this is just putting their money where their mouth is.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
understandable, but you are IBM. You have the resources to port what apps you control, or fund development of WINE so that you can run what apps you can't port. Plus, the porting of ALL your apps also helps when you go to move another company to Linux. Eating your own food is the cheapest way to find what needs to be fixed and rush it's development in the corporate world.
Check the names and the offices listed in the document - the Open Desktop group it mentions doesn't exist organizationally, and the names listed aren't managers!
This is so obviously a hoax! But a good one and probably with some insider knowledge. That is not to say that IBM isn't going to push towards linux, but I doubt that Windows will be pushed out completely before the rest of the business world uses it.
However, as you could read from another article linked at the bottom of the original article, IBM is dropping Lotus Notes. I wonder what's going to take its place.
DT
Is this thing on? Hello?
and I run linux on my company provided laptop 99% of the time. I boot windoze once a day so I can connect to the corporate network with my vpn client and download my lotus notes email.
*If* IBM can get Lotus Notes to run easily on linux and get the vpn client to run, then the problem is 99.9% solved.
A small cog in a very large wheel
Does that mean that we'll actually see thinkpads with linux preinstalled, and for less than their MS-taxed siblings ?
I seriously doubt this will affect more than half the organization. Up until about a year ago or so, the offical word processor was Lotus WordPro, because IBM owns Lotus. Well, everyone who uses WordPro hates it, and its file import/export filters are terrible.
So the new official word processor is MS Word. Of course, there are still entire divisions that are using WordPro, because they still have thousands of documents written in WordPro, and they can't afford to buy the MS Word licenses for all their employees.
There was always the possibility of port WordPro to Linux, because IBM owned it. There's no way that MS Word is going to be ported to Linux. So the only way for an IBM employee to conform to both guidelines is to run VMWare.
Now, I know what you're going to say - why doesn't IBM just standardize on Open Office? Well, I don't know why. But I do know that IBM is a huge organizationg that frequently competes with itself, and just because some high-level executive has made some pronouncement, it doesn't mean it will come true.
I mean, if IBM, the largest manufacturer of PC systems is switching to Linux, are Intel and AMD going to tell them "Sorry, IBM, you are our best customer, but you are going to have to switch to MS OS again?"...
Many of those 300K IBM employees are sales and support staff at remote offices, working zillions of odd little apps that help them do their unique jobs. Many are manufacturing. Think about the amazing diversity of desktops a place like IBM must have.
The really awesome aspect of this move is it goes way beyond Mozilla and Open Office(?). This is a move to Linux support for Milling Machine Master and Band Practice Pro and Golf Buddy 2004, since there are probably people at IBM that use such things full time. Windows is not just an OS, it is a universe of associated third-party applications, and engulfing that whole universe will mean that everything gets ported, or that Wine gets a LOT more attention.
The announcement was made for its market and psychological impact, but if it is really serious it will imply enormous efforts devoted to Wine and to porting tools for third-party software vendors. That may be the only way to remain compatable with all those thousands of third-party applications, and still meet the 2005 goal.
This will get very interesting, because IBM probably has contractual access to a lot of source code for Windows. If the SCO stink is "interesting", imagine the legal ruckus that Microsoft is going to make when all the porting tools and Wine improvements start showing up!
Keith Lofstrom server-sky.com