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Linux Starts to Find Home on Desktops
WSJdpatton writes "The much-hyped notion that Linux would be a viable alternative to Windows to run desktop and notebook PCs for corporate users seemed dead on arrival a few years ago. But the idea is showing some new vital signs as companies look for cheaper alternatives to Microsoft products. The Wall Street Journal outlines several firms that are reaping savings and stability on their workplace desktops by rolling out Linux distributions. 'Auto maker PSA Peugeot Citroën last month said it will start using Linux on 20,000 of its workers' PCs. Novell Inc., which sells a version of Linux and is supplying it to Peugeot, says it has recently signed up several large U.S. financial institutions that are installing Linux on some employee PCs. Sales of Linux PCs are showing a really nice uptick at Novell, says Ronald Hovsepian, chief executive of Novell.' Not everyone is a convert, though. 'The State of Illinois recently consolidated its IT systems onto Microsoft software -- and has no interest in using Linux, says Paul Campbell, director of the state's Central Management Services department. "We don't have time for science projects in state government," he says.'"
I dual boot Ubuntu Edgy Eft with Gnome and Beryl. I can play WoW with it, listen to my mp3s with it, surf the web with it, watch YouTube with it, read/write email with it, do office stuff etc...the only two things I'm not doing with Linux yet are watching DVDs (I tried that earlier tonight and had some weird problems) and using my webcam...and the latter is only because I haven't bothered to install the drivers yet.
I haven't completely weaned myself off XP yet, but I'm working on it. I advocate Ubuntu though to anyone who wants to find out for themselves that desktop Linux, even though it may not have been in the past, is now a genuinely viable reality.
As a windows System Admin (although I run Ubuntu personally), I can finally say that Linux is starting to get there, albeit slowly. I would definately say that linux is ready for a corporate IT envrionment.
It's still going to take a bit of time before it's fully ready for the home desktop though. I use 802.11 wireless as a perfect example of that - amongst the 'warm and fuzzy' distro's (SuSe, Ubuntu, Mandrake, Lycoris), I have yet to be able to set up a system where there wasn't a fairly significant amount of rigmoral to get something as simple as wireless with basic encryption running. It wasn't really 'hard' for me to get the wireless running, but in each case, it required editing of text files, and typically no less that 7 or 8 CLI entries. Linux has come a long ways, even in the past 2 or 3 years. I think Ubuntu is a great example of a good, easy to use OS. However, there's still a few dark and nasty corners of Linux which need polishing before it's ready for the masses. And let's not mention games and brand name apps which only run under windows.
Overall, it is exiting to see and watch. For the first time ever in the past few months, I've been able to recommend Ubuntu to begginner and novice users, as an easy-to-use alternative to Macs or Windows, with a straight face.
I also wonder how much Microsoft paid them. check out this link for more of the same. Another Story with Paul Campbell
I have a problem on Ubuntu Edgy with my Laserjet 2100. It does not align properly. I've been too lazy to look up the alignment info, because it's not really that important. But it is very stupid. The system claims to know the kind of printer I have. It recommended a driver for the device. Why is it not printing on the page?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
According to this, the office was a scandal. If anything, it's an example of how not to do things.
Where there's corruption, expect M$ to be crammed down your throat.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
If it's irrelevant, then why did you feel the need to make it a point in the first place?
The point is that solid IT is the difference between a secure system and an insecure system, not the OS.
Oh right, because the OS that a system is running has absolutely NOTHING to do with the security of the system...
In case you've been absent, the initial point was that there's no case to switch. If Illinois was switching from paper and typewriters to computers, we might have a situation where going with Linux could potentially be cheaper.
The point about OS security should not be taken out of context. Within reason, linux and windows are basically secure if implemented properly in an enterprise environment. Just because a fair share of home Windows users like to go on wild clicking sprees and download everything in sight does not make the OS less secure- there just happens to be more idiots using it, since it's more common. My company is entirely run on Microsoft-based servers and workstations internationally and we've yet to have any major security issues or virus outbreaks. I'm fairly sure the "Linux is more secure" argument would fade away if the system ever became dominant... you know, if Hell freezes over.
No, no... it is the other way around... they don't have the time 'cause the need it for fixing all those security issues in an all Windows environment...
...they should propably look at the consequncies... f.ex. a Norwegian bank has just been down FOR ALLMOST A WHOLE WEEK... 11.000 PC's and 1.000+ servers got the Win32/Viking.gt (Normann AV) aka. W32/HLLP.Philis.ha (McAfee) worm and they just couldn't clean it. I can't find anything in english about this case, there are two stories about it in the danish Computerworld but they are of course in danish initial story from March 5 follow up on March 8.
"State governments don't have time for BS. Microsoft's out of the box solution for them likely has been working and will continue to- they are probably correct that it's cheaper for them than Linux"
As a state employee, I can assure you we have the time.
On a more serious note, MS solutions certainly don't work right out of the box. They take a fair amount of massaging and coercing to get them to operate in a mostly functional way. Is Linux a drop-in replacement? By no means. Is it a feasible replacement? Absolutely. And figuring that state governments have huge contracts with whatever vendor they work with, getting the vendor's assistance on porting related issues might be a more reasonable expectation.
After calming me down with some orange slices and some fetal spooning, E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose.
(OT)
"It is the reaon you see those semi-cars"
Must be a European thing.
The US equivalents are "hot shot" rigs where a large "dually" pickup pulls "gooseneck" or fifth-wheel trailers.
Our Department of Transportation is getting wise to this and ticketing appropriately when the rigs aren't permitted for interstate commerce.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
Of course the ultimate would be a kind of universal Ndiswrapper where you could use any windows printer/webcam/pci card,etc without having to worry about whether there is a Linux driver written for it.Probably WAY to much to ask for,but it is nice to dream.I'd be happy to settle for a printer Niswrapper so I wouldn't have to run Windows to deal with all these damn buggy Lexmark cheapy printers that seem to be so popular around here.I spent 4 hours trying to get this Lexmark X1270 that was given to me to work in Linux before giving up and just slapping a Win2K partition on my desktop just to deal with the thing.
I think the Linux desktop is more than ready for the average user.It's the little add-ons that seem to keep a lot of folks on Windows (at least in my exp).
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Results:
9 8JHH&txtName=Microsoft&txtState=WA&txt2006=Y&txt20 04=Y&txt2002=Y&Order=N
52 records found in 0.0469 seconds.
Total for this search: $1,892,584
Search Criteria:
Donor name: Microsoft
Donor State: WA
Cycle(s) selected: 2006, 2004, 2002
Then it goes on to list all the seperate donations -- majority of which appear to go to RNC but there are substantial amounts to DNC also.
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=