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Pitfalls and Options For Business-Desktop Linux
swhiser writes "Tom Adelstein dispassionately surveys the remaining fixes that will put desktop Linux through in the enterprise. Peer-to-peer networking, functional printing, laptop support, single sign-on to Active Directory and a better Device Manager (with a driver-get mechanism) are among the things companies are asking for. He says, 'The Linux desktop could fail if companies continue to pilot programs and conclude that it's less trouble to buy Microsoft. Everyone loses in that scenario.'" Pre-loaded systems are no longer a pipe dream or an obscurity, though; read on for one reader's mini-survey of Linux systems from large computer vendors.
Acidus writes "I called around today to the big OEMs (Gateway, Dell, HP, IBM) seeing who offered systems with Linux pre-installed, and the results were good. 3 of the 4 offered Linux on workstations. While no one offered Linux preloaded on laptops, Dell has some references nn how to install Linux on their laptops, while IBM has a scattering of docs on their website about installing Linux on systems. The reps at Dell, even though they have a series of Linux workstations, had to ask me what Linux was, and how to spell it. "Is that L-Y-N-I-C-S?""
From the article:
"Broader WiFi card support needs to be introduced to Linux. WiFi card support for the large and important group of laptop users hardly exists. The expedient solution here would to use something like Linuxant's DriverLoader which has the elegance of being a single point solution that's applicable to the great majority of user/device scenarios."
This is the single reason that stopped my from installing Linux on my laptop. Until I discovered ndiswrapper, that is, which wraps windows wireless drivers...
Now if ndiswrapper worked out of the box, that *would* be a step forward.
A stable driver API is one of the things that is much needed. This is even a problem for server environments. In a perfect world, all drivers would be open source and easy to include, but that is just a pipe dream at the moment. There is a need for binary only drivers for several reasons, where a) support and b) it includes patented/licensed code are two of the biggest.
As it is now, Linux on the Desktop is only feasible for very specific desktop environments. And on laptops? Power management and wireless networking are not automatic, and with several different hardware versions and with users that roam the world... it's a pain.
Linux is getting there though, but slowly. The support cost for linux on desktops and laptops in corporations today would be too high I fear.
//TheToon
We use NIS so that workstations are completely interchangable. Had an EE harddrive meltdown, grabbed a spare machine, ran the kickstart, and the user logged back in via NIS within 15 minutes with no data loss! Could have had him backup instantly if he wanted to go to a spare office.
I can't believe how much easier workstation admin is now that we use Linux.
This way to the egress...
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/3219 57-64295-89315-321838-f33-395654.html
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
What's the point of using Linux, 'just because'?
Cost of licensing? Upward compatibility? Freedom of choice? Hardware requirements? Ability to customize workspace? Freedom from Microsoft inspections, like the ones MS has forced on city buereaucrats before? Better security?
Do I need to continue? I can...
Check out my sysadmin blog!
Sure... like just
- keep fighting terrorism
- losing indivdual freedoms
- stop thinking
For christ sakes... just because something isn't point click and done doesn't make it any less viable.
1. Windows Network Neighborhood visibility and UNIX/Linux visibility in the same panel.
XANDROS 2.0, Lindows, Lycoris, MEPIS
2. Active Directory password management which includes single sign-on and password expiration policies.
Novell Evolution embraces mail, calendar and address book standards to ease data sharing.
Supported mail protocols include IMAP, POP, SMTP and Authenticated SMTP, as well as Microsoft Exchange 2000 and 2003. Novell GroupWise support is currently in our development branch.
3. Interoperability with Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000.
See above
4. Font compatibility with Microsoft Office and Openoffice.org and/or StarOffice.
Crossover
5. Windows Terminal Server clients using RDP out of the box for home grown applications and special Windows applications.
Xandros, Lycoris, SUSE, RedHat... or just install VNC...
6. Ability to click on a file in a Windows or Samba share and initiate the associated application.
Fille association is not a roadblock. Simply a minor configuration issue.
7. Device management for hardware compatibility.
XANDROS 2.0, Lindows, Lycoris, MEPIS, RedHat, Suse
8. Compatible Windows Media player Codecs.
Crossover, MPlayer, XINE
Article Myth: Linux doesn't do P2P networking.
Fact: Linux just doesn't have a Net Neighbourhood/Places GUI. There is nothing that requires Linux (or BSD) to have to have a domain controller. In the past week, I've provided support in online forums where the problem is stated that on Windows they can't see the other Windows box - because they are using Network Places, which relies on NetBIOS and can take up to 45 min for a computer to show up in. This is the reality of the userbase - GUI.
Myth: Printing sucks
Fact: No argument - it sucks. No central tie-in into the system so all programs use the same printing config. I shouldn't have to setup CUPS, and then setup each and every program I want to use to use CUPS.
Myth: Laptop support is non-existant
Fact: There's sites dedicated to it; as long as the hardware is available, for the most part there is no trouble booting linux on a laptop. Rather, the article says that there's just not enough wifi support in laptops...
Myth: No Terminal Services client
Fact: rdesktop worked fine for years now
There's other issues, but those are the most visible. Not to say the article isn't overall wrong in it's assertion - that in order for Linux to get to the point where drivers are listed with hardware along with Windows, the hobbyist programmer mantra of "it works for me, so fsck you" keep stagnating Linux where it is today - where it's been for the last couple of years ever since "this will be the year of the Linux desktop...No, THIS will be..."
It's not acceptable to have to install 3+ programs in sequence to get an app to work - bundle the bloody stuff already, quit being lazy. Funny from the crowd who chastizes closed source about how bad their software design is...
If you want to migrate away from windows you need to start divorcing MS. Take a look at how Novell is doing their internal migration for example.
1) Do away with office. Replace office with openoffice the desktops (still windows).
2) Do away with outlook/exchange. Lucky for novell they have groupwise.
3) Set up a CMS system (novell used thei ifolder product) which keeps track of documents the employees create. This trains the employees to go to an abstract location for all their documents rather then "my documents".
4) Set up a desktop distro with open office, groupwise, ifolder and you are done.
It could be done with small gradual steps. Novell has done it, IBM is doing it and neither one of them is a small company.
evil is as evil does