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IBM's Linux Upgrade Roadmap
petrus4 writes "IBM have put together a nine-part series on upgrading from various incarnations of Windows (NT in particular) to Linux. Although it's mainly aimed at corporate customers, it's a good read, and could help the Linux advocacy effort in general."
It's good to see that large companies who understand Linux are willing to publicly fly in the face of SCO.
Of course, of course. Whenever you change from Microsoft to anything else it is an "upgrade". Not that I don't agree :)
Do they answer how to buy IBM computers without being forced to also buy a preinstalled Windows? Do they answer why they still "recommend Windows XP Professional" for their laptops? Do they answer where to get Linux support for their hardware - including wlan, power management etc.?
That article is about how to learn Linux, not how to convert your shop to Linux. A conversion guide would have more info about how to convert data, which is the real problem.
So if IBM is now going to be using Suse, does this mean that the Blue Linux rumor is bogus?
Very elegantly put ;)
["If you have been using Windows for a long time, you are accustomed to rebooting the system for many reasons, from software installation to correcting problems with a service. This is a habit you will need to change to start thinking in Linux. Linux tends to be rather Newtonian in nature. Once set in motion, it will tend to stay in motion until it is acted upon by an outside force, such as a hardware failure."]
The list IBM covers is quite handy for training others who think Windows is the beggining and end of what computers can do.
(That said, I would be careful using Webmin -- Step 3 -- as it can cause problems, though as an introduction when a more experienced admin is around it is OK.)
Is this useful for you and me directly? No. Can these texts help us by making conversations with the Windows-obsessed but willing less frustrating? Yes.
Here's the list from the link;
The first step to success in Linux is learning to think in Linux. Take what you already know and redirect it to doing things the Linux way.
Step 2. Console crash course Linux provides great power and flexibility through the console. If it has been a while since you've spent much time at the command prompt, take a little time to reacquaint yourself with this environment by reviewing common commands you'll use all the time.
Step 3. Introduction to Webmin
While it is important to know the nuts and bolts of administration, it is often more convenient to have a tool. Also, a higher-level application makes complex configurations easier to handle. Webmin provides point-and-click configuration for beginning and experienced administrators.
Step 4. User administration If a system has no users, is it really a system? Learn about the Linux approach to users.
Step 5. Linux logging Linux makes extensive use of logging. Nothing is hidden from you. Becoming comfortable and familiar with logs will allow you to monitor the health of your system and track activities.
Step 6. Working with file systems File systems are at the heart of every server. Linux provides a lot of flexibility in its file systems.
Step 7. Networking
Working unconnected is unthinkable in today's world. Linux on the network unleashes its full potential. However, Linux networking looks very different on its face. You'll need to learn some new terminologies and new tools.
Step 8. Backup and recovery
The first line of defense against disaster is a backup of the data. Linux provides different options, some of which are very simple to work with.
Step 9. Installing software
Linux can use prepackaged binary files, or you can compile programs directly from source code. The tools for installing Linux programs are very useful and provide functionality you might not expect.
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
Q: is the quoted idea historically accurate, given the development of unix, which begat linux?
Don't forget that IBM is still a corporation and has contractual obligations as well as a business to run. I think that its pretty cool they are publishing this at all, and far from immediately chastising them for everything they're not doing, I believe thanks are in order.
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
I would buy one.
In the first link "Thinking Linux" the "Users and groups" paragraph states the following:
Both Linux and Windows are multi-user operating systems. Both can be used by many different users, and give each user a separate environment and resources. Security is controlled based on the user's identity. Resource access can also be controlled by group membership, making it easier to work with rights for large numbers of users without having to touch each individual account.
Other than file/printer sharing I have never seen a Windows system used by more than one person, unless they are talking about Terminal Serving. The majority of Windows installations are just a one user at a time system. That is certainly not multi-user. I was hoping for better from IBM but I guess the person writing the article does not know what a multi-user system actually is. Windows is NOT a multi-user system. I really wish IBM could have written a better article. Oh well more bad research. Next!
almost every time someone mentions nt to linux data migration, i mention that if someone pays me money, i'll do the work.
r yone-we-send-documents-to-can't-read-them fees could instead pay me to do the development work on exchange and nt domains compatibility - and then NEVER HAVE TO PAY THEM AGAIN.
the migration tools for nt 4 style domains would take about 2 to 3 weeks to do: most of the work has already been done, it's a matter of documenting it, checking it and making it easier to use.
the open source migration tools for nt 5 (aka w2k) style domains would take a bit longer: a few months, at most, though, as various efforts (e.g. heimdal) are already underway.
the open source migration tools for exchange, now _that's_ a challenge, requiring about twelve to eighteen man-months of work to get somewhere.
i know someone who has done most of the work already, in his spare time: it's proprietary but if an open source exchange project was to seriously take off, i know he'd consider releasing some of his code to 1) help out 2) make sure _his_ copyright notices are at the top of the files, because in open source just as in the proprietary world, the _first_ person to release is the one that tends to take off, not the best.
ironically, just ONE company with more than one hundred employees that will be looking to pay microsoft's next set of exorbitant upgrade-because-everyone-else-has-and-oh-look-eve
It's not only a good read, but most importantly, it allways helps to point people to a resource provided by a big company to convince them, that linux is something worth considering and not just a geek toy.
Even if they don't listen to me, they might just listen to IBM.
As was I -- scoffing, I tried it for a competitive analysis that marketing wanted and was hooked within 2 months. It was damn nice for the time, and some features in the WPS would be nice in KDE and/or Gnome if not at the window manager and -- better -- file system level.
That's the beauty of it. It won't matter in the long run if they do or don't!
Nearly impossible. Dell, Gateway, Compaq, and even IBM never preloaded OS/2. Now, we're getting preloads...and even companies like HP and IBM yelling that they are the biggest Linux supporter. Dell brags too...though I'd like them all to shut up and get the goods out there.
Linux isn't being laughed at. OS/2 was only taken seriously at the begining, and quickly became the ugly step child (though technically it was quite nice though prone to crash/lock the UI).
I'm starting to see job listings specifically asking for Linux experience crop up in various places. My OS/2 experience never seemed to be important to anyone.
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
1. This is an upgrade roadmap, yet they assume you have Linux installed. Hmmmm. 2. This is a developer upgrade roadmap, yet they say nothing of development tools or compilers available. Hmmm 3. They pimp Webmin like its the 2nd coming of jebus, and Caldera(SCO) is one of the largest supporters and the first company to use Webmin. Hmmm
> There is more support now, and if you remember, it was difficult to get systems with OS/2 preloaded on them.
Actually, I remember there was a period of I think a half to one year, around '94-'95, when many systems here in the Netherlands were sold preloaded with OS/2 Warp. Not Compaqs and HPs but computers from Escom and Vobis (big chains here at the time). The main problem was, most of the systems were only equiped with 4Mb Ram, so OS/2 was pretty slow. Since all the software was for Win 3.1 anyway, people just deleted OS/2 and installed a pirated copy of Dos 6.22 + Win 3.11, which performed much better in 4Mb than the Win-OS/2 subsystem.
If someone feels like spending a lot of time in court, start writing an app for the following specs:
0) Install spare HD and set BIOS to boot from CD, restart.
1) Knoppix-based CD boots the server
2) VMWare installation on CD boots the Windows OS from the HD on top of Linux.
3) Various scripts portscan the VMWare-running server and scans the filesystem for info, creates a Linux installation on the empty disk and copies all services and shared files to this new installation. Creates Samba server to host login/password info if needed (PDC). Copies Exchange server, IIS, DNS etc. etc. Shutdown when finished.
4) Swap the old intact primary HD with the brand new disk and restart, booting the new Linux clone. Test and apply any manual changes if needed.
5) Sell these scripts as Linux Migration Kit.
6) Get sued.
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
cat
I have been using linux and BSD at home for many of my own projects for years. I always kept a windows partition for school-related things. Finally, one day, I realized how completely sick of windows I was and wanted to drop it altogether. Mind you, I had all my school work and research under windows because that's what my advisors, professors and collaborators used too. I didn't really have a problem dropping Windows. Later versions of Open Office treated my old Word files rather kindly, even Impress has been wonderful, and all my data was just fine being opened and saved in Calc. I installed Matlab for Linux instead of for Windows, and my projects of course had no problem being moved over. I try to send most of my files to people at .pdf, but even in the instances I've saved files for Windows or Mac (I interact with people who use both), it hasn't been a problem at all. In fact, the formatting problems I've seen sending them files is no different than I've seen with Windows users swapping files. So, now I'm as productive as ever at work, and not feeling like a whore every time I turn on my laptop! (And if anything, everyone is rather amazed when I go to a group meeting and I have no problem connecting my laptop to the projector, while for everyone else, doing so is a 15 minute showstopper requiring about 10 reboots of windows). I don't know what your particular needs are, but as for myself and some of my friends who switched, it wasn't as painful as anticipated.
I have used things like this in the past from companies like RedHat abd Mandrake to convince people that Linux is not "only for nerds" and "too hard". Now that IBM has this, it is perceived as having come from a third party, as IBM still is not thought of as a "Linux Company". This will likely help in my fight to get Linux on my corporate desktops. Go IBM!
bash: rtfm: command not found
What other choice do they have?
They stepped on Bill's weener years ago so M$ is NOT an option.
IBM has put ALL of it's eggs in the Linux basket. It's sink or swim and the ONLY life preserver available to IBM is Linux.
The current business model using Windows is:
1. Do stuff
2. Report plenty of bugs, RFEs to MS for free
3. Pay annual licensing fees to MS
3a. Hope that Microsoft won't screw you by making changes to their s/w that help their bottom line but hurt you
4. Hope enough money is left over from your core business
With OSS s/w, this becomes
1. Do stuff
2. Report plenty of bugs, RFEs to OSS project (occasionally fix/implement one) for free
3. Make profit from your core business
In both cases, you do free work for other people, but with OSS, all the free work is aggregated and you don't pay for it over and over again. With MS, you end up paying for the same piece of software and for the volunteer work of others and yourself not just once, but over and over again. Furthermore, with MS and other commercial s/w vendors, you constantly run the risk that they will screw you by discontinuing or changing products you depend on, and you have no recourse.
The business case for OSS is easy to make: OSS greatly reduces risks and cost of ownership. OSS isn't without any costs, but it is cheaper on balance.
Note that OSS is a business model and money saver for the actual end users, comapnies whose business is not the creation of the OSS itself, but something else. Founding a s/w company that creates OSS and makes money from it is, as you yourself observe, a long shot and only works rarely. And that's OK.
At Novell's Brainshare conference this week they demoed a new migration tool which saved all the user's documents and application settings, wiped the drive, installed SuSE, configured all the apps for the user (Outlook settings map to Evolution, IE bookmarks saved in Epiphany etc) all in the space of 5 minutes or so.
At the moment it looks like a pretty custom job, but I can definitely see a generic tool being in the works.
-Mark
I can still clearly remember the days when IBM was the enemy, up in their ivory white towers. ( 20 + years ago )
All the 'little' people wanted them to be taken down to size, releasing the hardware to the people.. 'freedom'...
Now we root for them as they may just save the OSS movement from the giant beast...
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Actually, IBM did stick to their guns back then. The real problem was that they backed it with the a similar attitude that is seen by another company; You will not be fired by picking us. They charged top dollars and delivered an inferior product. As time went on, they tried to keep their prices up, but had to keep propping it up via their other products. In particular, IBM counted on all their hardware sale to push it. They used their hardware monopoly to try and prop it up. All the while, they were being picked apart at hardware by a bunch of small start-ups in the mid-size (unix) and low-end (PCs). Yet, so many in the press backed IBM on OS2 and ignored Dos and the start-up Windows 3.0. In fact, back then, many in the press were supported by IBM and were writting a lot of trash. Many mags and writers from the 80's disappeared as they were ruled wrong all the time.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
But before you get too enthusiastic, remember that they're treating Linux strictly as a server OS. Go to their web site and try to find a single desktop, workstation, or laptop that does not come bundled with Windows. You don't even have the option of buying the system witout an OS!
It says nothing about getting customers to actually come to that conclusion.
Not an easy thing to do, and I want to sell Linux solutions to small business.
Dawn of the Dead
Nice of you to put it so politely, but the permissions did change, subtly. Enough so that permission handling scripts are now broken for XP in my department. And my current level of permission is insufficient to fix it. And my superiors (?) can't figure out how because of this mistaken notion that XP has the exact same permissions that NT does.
Anyway, nice of you to let me know that these dificulties are my imagination. This job is only a temporary one that I will be leaving soon.
Oh, and by the way, it is my superiors that seem to confuse upgrading MS Office with that of the OS. "It's easier that way." they claim. Well, whatever.
Thus, I conclude that you're making your story up.
If only that were so . . .
"Are you on some kind of medication?"
"No"
"Well, you should be."
--Bean
It's important to know where the hell all those trivial configeration files are. Rather then waiting for "find" to find that damn file, you can use webmin's edit manualy feature, or hit module config. Very useful when you ask your self "where the hell did apache get moved to in redhat x.xx". Better yet, you can print off where the hell everything is at so you are not scratching your head if webmin failes and you don't remember the specific name of some specific file which might vary from distro to distro.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
The title of the Slashdot post is "IBM's Linux Upgrade Roadmap." It moving to Linux truly an upgrade? In economic terms, maybe. Yes Linux is free (minus SCO issues). Technically speaking, Windows probably has a lot more features than Linux today. With that said, can we truly call it an upgrade?
I'd personally (and anonymously) like to thank Slashdot for providing a link to this article. The dos/windows to Linux guide linked to in IBM's roadmap will help me out quite a bit. I'm a Windows/Novell professional and Linux beginner. I cant wait to learn more about Linux.
I guess Sun is a bad competitor, so I understand why StarOffice is not in IBM plans. But what's happened to Lotus? When my company can buy IBM laptops, IBM workstations and IBM servers ALL runing Lotus clientor server applications?
P.S. I heard about OOo. In fact I am using it on a daily basis. But the other fact that my boss hates the fact tha I am using it as he doesn't and we both hate to see our document screwed up after sharing with each other. Besides, you still have to substitute Outlook+Exchange with something that works THE SAME convinient way when it comes to calendaring and tasks.
Less is more !
It is especially easy for one program to accidently starve all others of input- this will happen, for example, if a Motif program freezes while a menu is pulled down.
Although not very well documented, Ctrl-Alt-Slash (slash on the numeric keypad) will break any XGrabMouse / XGrabKeyboard, allowing you to continue working with other applications. The app that did the grab is not killed, and if it's not completely hung, it will continue working.