Desktop Linux Mass Migration

Rob writes "With many Linux vendors attempting to push the open source operating system as a desktop alternative to Windows, Computer Business Review reports on Novell's migration to Linux on the desktop. From the article: 'Changing any mission-critical technology is a daunting task, and despite the growing maturity of Linux as a desktop operating system, it is little wonder that the vast majority of businesses are sticking with Windows.'"

Comments

Need more apps

[seanadams.com]

That's great for Novell, but I don't think the rest of the world is going to migrate to the Linux desktop until we have some better desktop apps. Since I had fuck all to do today, I wrote a very useful one - maybe this will drive some people to our awesome platform:

#!/usr/bin/perl

$_='A=15; B=30; select(stdin); $|=1; select(stdout);$|=1; system
"stty -echo -icanon eol \001"; for C(split(/\s/,"010.010.010.010
77.77 022.020.020 330.030.030 440.044.000 055.550.000 666.060.".
"000")){D=0;for E(split(/\./,C)){F=0;for G(split("",E)){C[P][F++
][D]=G} D++}J[P]=F; I[P++] =D}%L=split(/ /,"m _".chr(72)." c 2".
chr(74)." a _m");sub a{for K(split(/ /,shift)){(K,L)=split(/=/,K
);K=L{K};K=~s/_/L/; printf "%c[K",27}}sub u{a("a=40");for D(0..B
-1){for F(0..A-1){M=G[F][D];if(R[F][D]!=M) {R[F][D]=M;a("m"."=".
(5+D).";".(F*2+5)); a("a=".(40+M).";" .(30+M));print " "x2}}}a(
"m=0;0 a=37;40")}sub r{(N)=@_;while(N--) {Q=W;W=O=H;H=Q;for F( 0
..Q-1){for D(0..O-1) {Q[F][D]=K[F][D]}}for F(0..O-1){for D(0..Q-
1){K[F][D]= Q[Q-D-1][F]}}}}sub l{for F(0..W-1){for D(0..H-1){(K[
F][D]&& ((G[X+F][Y+D])|| (X+F<0)||(X+F>=A)|| (Y+D>=B)))&& return
0}}1}sub p{for F(0..W-1){for D(0..H-1){(K[F][D]>0)&&(G[X+F][Y+D]
=K[F][D]) }}1}sub o{for F(0..W-1){for D(0..H-1){(K[F][D]>0)&&(G[
X+F][ Y+D]=0)}}}sub n{C=int(rand(P)) ;W=J[C];H=I[C];X=int(A/2)-1
;Y=0;for F(0..W-1){for D(0..H-1){K[F][D]= C[C][F][D]}}r(int(rand
(4)));l&&p}sub c{d:for(D=B;D>=0;D--){for F(0..A-1){G[F][D]||next
d}for(D2=D;D2>=0; D2--){for F(0..A-1){G[F][D2]= (D2>1)?G[F][D2-1
]:0; }}u;}}a ("m=0;0 a=0;37;40 c");print "\n\n".4x" "." "x(A-4).
"perltris\n".(" "x4)."--"xA."\n".((" "x3)."|"." "x(A*2)."|\n")xB
.(" "x4). "--"xA."\n";n;for(;;) {u;R=chr(1); (S,T)=select(R,U,V,
0.01);if(S) {Z=getc;}else {if($e++>20){Z=" ";$e=0;}else{next;} }
if(Z eq "k"){o;r(1);l||r(3);p}; if(Z eq "j"){o;X--;l||X++;p}; if
(Z eq "l"){o;X++;l||X--;p};if(Z eq " "){o;Y++;(E=l)||Y--;p;E|| c
|c|c|c|c|n||goto g;};if(Z eq "q"){last;}}g: a("a=0 m=".(B+8).";0
" ); system "stty sane"; '; s/([A-Z])/\$$1/g; s/\%\$/\%/g; eval;

Re:Need more apps

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry to hear about your job at HP.

Re:Need more apps

[silverdr]

C'mon! You took the wrong keyboard and wrote OS X app rather than Linux one... We don't want to drive people towards OS X! It's done too much turmoil already - I've seen many former die-hard Linux geeks now messing around with that stupid fruit-logo in the UL screen corner every day... :-)

Conspiracy #1483

[Anonymous Coward]

<conspiracy theory> Microsoft is paying everybody to stay on Windows<conspiracy theory/>

Simplicity & Connectivity: Keys to the Deskto

[reporter]

Most people are not technically savy like the SlashDot crowd. The average American likes Windows because it is relatively simple to install and to connect to the Internet.

Note that AOL builds an ISP dialup client only for Windows, not Linux.

If we expect Linux to make a dent in the desktop market, Linux distributions must change radically. They must be as simple to install as MacOS X, a very-simple-to-install UNIX variant. We need the ISPs to board the Linux train by building dialup clients. Yes. Much of America still uses dial, and in the dialup market, AOL is still #1.

I absolutely admire Linux, and if my ISP would provide the same kind of support, for Linux, that my ISP provides for Window, I would switch my AMD-powered desktop over to Linux. Otherwise, I'll wait for the Apple x86 box and switch from Linux to FreeBSD. I prefer Linux; it's got the cooler icon: the penguin.

By the way, some hackers will likely provide the necessary software patch to enable x86 MacOS to run on any IBM PC clone. If the Apple x86 box garners 10% or more of the market, then most of the ISPs will gleefully provide support for UNIX connectivity. Perhaps, the title of this article should be "Simplicity & Connectivity & A Matter of Time for the UNIX Juggernaut called Apple".

Oh man

[Quantam]

"it is little wonder that the vast majority of businesses are sticking with Windows."

Sticking that on Slashdot is like waving a red sheet in front of a bull.

Re:Devuce drivers

[shmlco]

No, they're supposed to study a half-dozen different distro's to determine what's best for them, replace all non-compliant hardward, Google for drivers (on another computer), learn a dozen or so CLI and configuration file languages, learn to rebuild the kernel, find FOS software replacements for all the programs Linux will no longer run, and then download, install, and configure those as well.

Your grandmother could do it, easy.

The Gospel....

[mehaiku]

Lx 13:2 Behold! The salvation of thy system is at hand! Of the operating systems that shall be sold both from within and amongst the nations around you, of them none shall ye buy. 3 For thou shalt be but one way to enter the Kingdom of Heavenly Operating Systems. Thou shalt purchase thee a disk burner and keepeth it close to thine heart, just as thy keepeth thy karma close to thy heart. 4 From thy fattest data pipe, which is known as broadband amongst the heathen, shalt thou download and burn thy Linux the Christ, for Linux redeemeth almost all hardware. Thou can't worship Linux the Christ until thou first install thy Linux the Christ and Savior CD onto thy computer. 5 From thy computer shalt thy wipe the most evil and depraved Microsoft from thy hard drive, infested with more diseases than all of the harlots of Babylon! 6 Once thou has cleansed and purified thou hard drive from the evils of the Satan Gates, then shalt thou install thy Linux the Christ and Savior CD onto thy computer and the Kingdom of Heavenly Operating Systems shall be yours forever and ever, at no cost with no support. 7 If Linux the Christ shall not be installable on thy hardware, thou shalt follow BSD for he is risen! Thus saith Father Torvalds. Amen