Linux Desktops Send NASA Rovers to Mars

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday January 11, 2006 @06:31AM from the easier-to-tweak-by-hand-when-things-go-wrong dept.

joestar writes "It's not a secret that Linux has been used at NASA for a long time, and it appears that they have been using it quite extensively on the desktop. From the article: 'At the JPL, it is common to see Red Hat Inc., SuSE or Mandriva Linux running on users' desktops alongside Windows. [...] that's still a lot of Linux on the desktop.' More surprisingly, they seem to be reluctant to use Linux on servers: 'Our personal view is that Linux, period, is only for the desktop. We don't run our main servers on Linux, because there are too many flaws in main Linux kernel.'"

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Re:I work in Mission Control and... by Arandir · 2006-01-11 07:34 · Score: 5, Insightful

But, I have seen many workstations running Linux...

To most people, a workstation is a desktop. "Desktop" itself is a very nebulous term, originally meaning a computer small enough to put on your desktop, but now meaning any client system you directly interact with. You also have the problem of many people using "desktop" to refer to a GUI operating environment. A "workstation" however, comfortably fits into all of the above. Workstations are desktops.

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A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned