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Novell Headed To Linux Enterprise Desktop In Asia
Bill Kendrick writes "Novell's Asia-Pacific division is working on Linux desktop trials in Hong Kong and Malaysia, with the expectation that Linux's adoption on enterprise desktops will continue to grow. They expect many more companies to start embracing it within the next 12 months." A spokesperson from Novell comments: "I don't see it as a watershed where everybody's running Linux desktops, but you'll start to see the emergence of some examples of companies that have embraced Linux and are going down that path."
...can be found at AsiaOSC.
They've got good info on each country - i.e., here's the page on Malaysia. They also serve as a mirror for Open Office, various BSDs, multiple RedHat releases, and so forth, so they're doing more than just gathering news. No banner ads, either.
The Army reading list
This is only because they couldn't get the paper clip to speak Chinese.
After all, you can buy copies of WinXP in that region for $5, even less if you are any good at bartering.
The more that an open desktop is embraced the more that open standards are embraced stopping big companies like M$ from having closed standards.
Can't do business if you can't share information.
Evolution or ID?
This raises the possibilty that Novell will partner with some Chinese software firm in order to pass China's impending domestic software content laws. I'm sure that the Chinese government would give Novell a nice domestic content seal of approval if Novell brings some IP and perhaps $$$ to the Chinese table.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
I think this is Novell's biggest Linux move since buying SuSE, seemingly putting some weight behind it. I'd be interested to see how they fare out in the asian countries.
China will love them, what with the red colour scheme and all...
the market. They have the software, the knowhow, and the capital. Their reputation, although a bit outdated, is a bit of a boon as well.
Any Novell execs listening, open-source Openexchange and break the demon's back!
The east is a great place to start. They are embracing technology over there greatly. The newest cell phones and other technology are going on there. Plus the east (including china and india) has 1/3 of the worlds population. Pretty smart place to start.
Evolution or ID?
Asian Markets work very much off of a piracy basis for their software, the large amount of software not being paid for or used within the context of a western office environment.
This appears to me to be another part of the trend of companies salivating over the numbers...(Ooohh, 500 Quadrillion-Billion-Monillion people in China, thats a lot more than America!)
Post apocalyptic gaming goodness
-1 Lacist
The Linux desktop is simply not ready yet. If you rush Linux to the average desktop user they'll try it, most will dislike it (in comparison to MAC & Windows) and it'll put them off ever trying it again.
I think it'll be another decade until Linux is firmly on the desktop, and I don't think we should start introducing it to the average desktop user for another 5yrs yet.
Like a fine wine, it will mature in time.
I'd love to see that here. I think a Linux desktop would make a lot of people happy, the users for having linux and the managers for saving money. Maybe if it takes off there, Novell and others will try it elsewhere.
http://github.com/gbook/nidb
I've been following the rise of Linux for the some time now. I don't run it, I run OS X and don't give a damn about the GPL.
However, all the MS people I talk to have had a dramatic change of heart with the recent annoucements like this one. Nothing they've said explicitly, but the tone has changed from denial to they are finally coming to terms with the fact that Linux 'will' take over at some point. It's now only a question of how fast.
The US will probably lag behind the rest of the world, but it's only a matter of time now.
Here's the list of the best-selling software titles for 2003 (by quantity sold, not dollars fetched):
1. TurboTax 2002 Deluxe
2. Norton Antivirus 2003
3. Turbo Tax 2002
4. Norton Antivirus 2004
5. TurboTax 2002 Multi State 45
6. Taxcut 2002 Deluxe Block
7. Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade
8. Microsoft Office XP Student and Teacher Edition
9. Taxcut 2002 State Block
10. Norton Internet Security 2003
You can see that tax software is huge thing for a bunch of people to have on their desktop. Office suite is another. Internet security (not just antivirus, but user-friendly firewall, port manager and other utilities).
Office is pretty much covered with OpenOffice, so that's done. As for Internet security tools, I am not sure which ones exist for the end user, but perhaps industry could come up with some.
Tax software. Is there a good tax package for Linux, allowing those millions of accountants, small business owners and middle-class Joe's like you and me file their taxes?
Out of free (of charge) software that is getting huge market share of desktop, what would the Linux equivalent of:
- Kazaa
- Real Player
- ICQ/AIM (ok, Gaim is a good alternative)
A step at a time, first networks, then the desktop. The domination by Linux will not happen overnight. How long did it take M$ to get where it is? Look at where they are now, with all the mistakes(Win 3.0, 95, Me, Bob), that get repeated, over and over and ...... and they are still the biggest gorilla on the planet. Don't think the Linux world won't make a few, but we are (hopefully) smarter and have learned from the mistakes of others and won't repeat them.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
Man, they'll be able to sell linux to everyone. Then an hour later, they can come back and sell it again!
Working as well as TurboLinux did.
Do you know where your Linux desktop is?
The headline to this story should read "what took so long?" I consider the fact that Linux HASN'T made a major entry into the enterprise OR consumer desktop to be a MAJOR failing. Linux should, by now, be on 15-20% of desktops. What's the problem? Consider:
-Hardware isn't a problem. Linux pretty much supports just as much hardware as Windows does. And, if you are a desktop vendor, it really isn't a problem to write your own drivers.
-Applications aren't a problem. Linux has perfectly functional word processors, spreadsheets, web browsers, instant messengers, and email/calendar/groupware. Plus, they're free!
-File exchange isn't a problem. Any major file format that Windows/Mac users read/write and be read/written in Linux.
-With the proliferation of sub-$500 computers, Windows and 3rd party software becomes a major portion of the price tag. Linux makes economic sense here.
And this has been the case for AT LEAST FOUR YEARS! I think by now we have to start asking hard questions about who's to blame for this. I can think of a few. I would start with the desktop environments, KDE and GNOME. They continue to present an environment that is far too complicated for the computer novice, and fail to cover up the weirdness of X. I would also blame the distributions, who could have, in turn, covered up the weirdness of KDE and GNOME. Application install/uninstall is still a nightmare for users who are skiddish of a command line. I should be able to download a program installer, open up a file browser and browse to where I put it, double click to do a graphical installation, and then find the program in an add/remove programs system contol, and click delete to get rid of it.
Finally, I blame the elitism of the Linux community, who continue to regard the OS as belonging to computing guru, and would much rather bring the user to Linux than Linux to the user. Making easy tasks easy does not "dumb down" Linux.
Sorry, mod me down if you want, but every so often I feel the need to rant about this. It's 2004, and there should be thousands of grandmas out there emailing and IMing on Linux. The fact that there aren't is a really sad thing.
So a handful of Cisco execs makes the same as 10,000 productive employees?!!! That'll show those Commie Bastards that Capitalism Works!(tm)
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Employees of these company's would also be prone to use linux at there own homes, because they use it at work. This is like fresh university students using unix at the work place, because they used it in college.
"companies that have embraced Linux and are going down that path"
:-)
Bad choice of words?
"I think this line is mostly filler"
Yes, this was an honest (and lame) attempt at being funny, but do I really warrant being modded "off topic"? Some of these moderators and their heightened sensitivity are exactly why we have these karma whores around - if you try to be funny, you get modded "flamebait". Thanks guys.
Oh yeah, guys, don't forget to mod this "troll" or whatever too. I'm also trying to see if reverse psychology works or not.
It is if you either a communist or someone with lots of time to spare configuring it.
I'm not talking about people who use Linux, or even people who evangelize Linux. I'm in both of those categories. I'm talking about the people who develop and maintain Linux and the software that Linux is dependent on. From the Kernel team to the major distributers to the desktop environments, down to the foot soldier coders, Linux has always been "by code-monks, for gurus." The culture has always been one that values tinkering with the guts of a system over a pleasant user experience.
I will admit I know sod-all about what makes for a good user experience in an OS desktop. I have no trouble at all with Linux, and can't comprehend why it's so much of a pain for ordinary folks. But I do know that I can sit an uninitiated down at a Windows machine and get him doing basic tasks quickly, whereas they are lost in front of any Linux setup I've tried.
That shouldn't happen.
I think the major failure is getting the word out to people that linux is just like windows in terms of usability with environments like KDE and Gnome; now we just need the application and driver vendors supporting linux like they support windows.
It's all in the marketing man. Marketing is key. It has nothing to do with this supposed "elitism" you speak of. Elitism is a thing of the 90s. I don't see vendors like Mandrake, Xandros, Lin---s, etc. being "elitist" towards their users.
We need someone with a lot of money, and we need to get the word out in as many places as possible.
Aye, there's the rub! We need money to advertise, and yet, money is only made once the operating system is quite popular (i.e. on support, etc.). So, someone is going to have to invest in it; and with the recent bursting of the bubble, investment has gone wayyy down, RIGHT when linux became really viable on the desktop!
Just great, eh? Oh well, I'm hopeful that with IBM's efforts and others, things will come around eventually.
It's ok man, and remember, market dominance isn't everything.
Hi, It is 2004 and this grannie IS using Linux. Why don't we have a poll and find out if there are a thousand of us.
Here's why - most of the world is 'fucked up' by your definition.
In the majority of economies, those in power use that power to enrich themselves by any means at their disposal, whether by bribery or embezzlement.
I've struggled to see where OSS can fit into this model, but you have shown how corrupt elites can prosper from OSS while not adversely impacting the OSS movement.
All we need now is for Halliburton, EDS and the large consulting firms that play the part of the oligarchy in the West to catch on to this business model, and OSS will prosper worldwide.
There - you're not flamebait, but you've missed the key means by which OSS will gain a foothold in the 'developed' economies.
oh brave new world, that has such people in it!
Not Linux in Asia! You KNOW they'll pirate it!
God, I can see it know, bootleg copies of Linux on every street corner for 99 cents a CD...
Oh the humanity of it!
Official Language of Malaysia is Malay (langcode=ms)
2 004/2/23/technology/7357771&sec=technology
it also known as "Bahasa Melayu" or sometimes "Bahasa Malaysia"
I prefer to call it Bahasa Melayu since it's the original name of the language.
The language has 2 type of writing form, roman and jawi script. however jawi script is not popular.
speaking about native language, Microsoft has announce "Language interface Pack" for Malay several week before.
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/
and i would love to see Malay XD2 to compete with them.
-- Hasbullah bin Pit (sebol)
Having some experience in educating people about computers, i'd dare say that poor support of games is what's really holding people back - also those grandparents you mention [they often buy the computer in reality for the grandchildren].