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Linux Gaining Strength In Downturn
gubm writes "A February survey of IT managers by IDC indicated that hard times are accelerating the adoption of Linux. The open source operating system will emerge from the recession in a stronger data center position than before, concluded an IDC white paper."
are often free!
sudo mount --milk --sugar
The year of linux on the desktop is finally here!
I find it morbidly funny somehow that companies have to experience poverty themselves before they see the same benefits of Open Source as some third world countries have already been aware of for years.
If you quote this signature there'll be 72 copies of Windows ME waiting for you in Heaven.
It's a sad day when people adopt a change based solely on price.
A survey of 330 IT Managers makes for questionable results as, although it doesn't state the sampling method, it suggests 'these are just the people who could be bothered to reply to surveys we sent out' rather than going for a representative sampling.
It's headline grabber is from a flawed type of question : "do you plan to...". The trouble is "I you plan to..." isn't the same as "there are currently plans drawn up to...". You're essentially getting a non-commital 'yeah probably' response.
It's also linking two unrelated questions: "are you planning on increasing linux usage?" and "are you cutting your budget". Whilst their may possibly be links between the two in some cases, it would be a logical fallacy to assume that companies are switching to linux because of budget cuts.
That one might think that the very same recession that increases interest in Linux might well put many of the leading vendors out of business.
Novell's operating margin and profit margins are both negative, according to e-trade. Sun Microsystems looks to be in big trouble, as usual.
But, on the other hand, Red Hat did well last year, so I guess Linux fans should keep their fingers crossed as their earnings are due on the 25th of March. Oracle is also doing ok and their earnings are due out the 18th.
IBM is totally kicking ass right now, EPS wise.
So... you could lose Sun Microsystems and maybe Novell, but you would still have Oracle, Red Hat and IBM to fund OSS development, and, of course, Google.
This is my sig.
Tomorrow, in an Indian city where I live... IBM, HP and Dell are showcasing their Open Source operations in an event sponsored by PC Quest magazine. There is a hige glut in Open Source adoption (mainly in the servers and storage segment) in recent times in India. I guess the picture is the same elsewhere as well.
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Those of us who were involved, even peripherally, in metal bashing in Europe during the 90s may remember "Herr funfzehn prozent" - the guy from Opel who would guarantee you a supply contract if you could undercut his present supplier by 15% on price, which included warranty and quality costs. One German company found a way to make fuel injector casings by deforming metal rather than by cutting, resulting in a 50% cost saving. I don't recall anybody saying "What a pity Opel decided to use a cheaper identical product rather than a more expensive one". What they said was "Great, we have a long term contract, a patent and an unassailable technical lead."
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
I have recently been writing about what I call the "new frugality." With an estimated 40% of the world's (fake and inflated) wealth gone in the last year, it is finally becoming obvious to many more people, companies, and government that all expenditures need to be judged on value (preferably long term).
Unfortunately for me, virtually all of my recent consulting work has been taking open source projects, making a few customizations or enhancements, and designing a good deployment strategy. On one hand, this is not good because my revenues are down and I enjoy from-scratch development work. On the other hand, this is good because the profitability of my customers makes my future revenue streams more stable.
Linux, web platforms + frameworks, etc. all make IT more relevant because they increase the value to cost ratio.
The fact that Novell folks, who are in bed with Microsoft sponsored this study is s suspect in itself.
Asked what factors would accelerate Linux deployments, respondents said "reducing costs and stronger interoperability with Windows" as the two top issues.
What about creating a distro that users want to use, which distro will work exactly as advertised? Heck what is the use of having Gnash installed yet it will not [properly] play *all* videos on sites like YouTube? We should not install half baked apps on our systems.
The white paper said Linux "has failed to successfully capture a substantial share of traditional client deployments," but new form factors, such as netbooks running Linux, and the growing number of Web-based Linux applications may result in more use of Linux on the client...
This is my opinion, and would not like to start a flame war of any kind. I used to be a GNOME user but find the latest offer from the KDE folks quite compelling. So let's strip out the "fat" in KDE, convince GNOME folks to join KDE in creating a wonderful desktop for the Linux kernel. The license that used to be of great hindrance is no longer a fact in KDE.
I am not saying that GNOME should be abandoned but let's have a fully functional desktop. This can easily be achieved in QT and KDE.
Let's all hope things continue to go down the drain so the Linux base may grow!
Wait...
Wait till they try and hire staff for this Linux whim!!
Will Credit Crunch 2009 be the Linux year?
This week a relative gave a desktop running Ubuntu to his kids following a recommendation by a computer store owner "ubuntu is best for kids". Yes! This after having a bunch of worm infested unusable windows & vista laptops lying around his home for months! Shows linux has reached a level where it is very much usable by regular folks.
Yeah, I guess he's falling for the "broken windows" fallacy...
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
Linux client usage appears to be making gains as well. I am assuming the articles reference to "stronger data center position" hinges on primarily server usage.
I've been using linux for 14 years now and for most of that time it just has not been quite ready for the masses. The Ubuntu team has made gigantic leaps in making the OS easily configurable and consistent, while the OpenOffice people have provided software which makes it compatible with formats which are necessary for business use. Sure there are still some quirks here and there, but in my opinion they are no harder to deal with than any of the commercial operating systems.
The economic downturn might have something to do with it, but it's only one reason why we're seeing it adopted more.
We've been there; we've done this. We've seen the light and are returning. The idea that a 'free' OS is cheaper is a false assumption. The hidden costs of administration combined with the restrictions and incompatibilities make for a more expensive ride.
Time is the biggest Money Pit for an IT dept. I do not argue that Linux servers can be very reliable, however, getting them to that point is going to be a true adventure as an admin.
Worse still, your life will become a nightmare when you cannot meet corporate demands due to the incompatibilities of linux. When a VP walks in with a new device or you get a piece of machinery in pretty much rules out linux as your primary directory service OS. OpenLDAP or its cousins interact with about .001% of the devices Active Directory does. You'll have to write a custom script or buy something like Tivoli Access Manager to make all your directories play nice together.
Trying to find a good support provider or consultant is a total crap-shoot. Finding someone who Says they're a qualified Linux consultant and them actually BEING one is another problem you'll face -- Good hunting.
Having served as a Linux admin for the past 10 years or so, I've seen the progress that's been made. However, in my opinion, Windows Server has come a lot farther and has a much more to offer now than Linux. It's more consistent, more user friendly, and I can manage more servers in less time.
I'm not arguing that Google's gone down the right path, but it's the right path for them. Maybe them and a very, very small portion of the IT world. For someone like me working in the medium-sized business world, you don't have the luxury of dictating how the company will interact with the rest of the world. Google basically did this.
As an admin, I'm at the mercy of what our customers, suppliers, and executives need to accomplish. I need to do this in the most efficient manner that I can. We've been dinged on how we operate as a dept due to the limitations of Linux. It has cost us plenty to try to resolve the issues but there is no good reason to continue digging our own grave when we can see a way out of the hole. If the situation were reversed, I'd not hesitate to make another switch. Maybe down the road this will happen, maybe it won't.
Personally, I believe Linux has almost reached its pinnacle in the server market. There's just not enough people developing integrated solutions. Its piecemeal strategy lags way behind Microsoft's comfortable server management scheme.
This is just my perception. Your world may differ. I suspect your opinions do.
I have been using Linux for many years nearly exclusively now and everything I need an OS to do is done quite well by Linux.
The problem is that hardware companies still do not provide support and drivers. And that really pisses me off, increasingly so, since the number of gadgets, devices, peripherals one would like to attach to one's computer has been increasing.
I am sick and tired of getting "sorry, Linux not supported" canned text responses to my inquiries.
Developers do a great job to provide what these companies should provide, but Linux users should really show these guys a bit better that they need to do their homework.
I am planning to buy a Laptop and a mobile phone soon: the laptop company will force me to buy Windows and make no statements about hardware support and the mobile phone company explicitly told me that "sorry Linux is not supported" and not even was able to inform me if I could mount the memory card as an USB drive.
These companies suck but they won't change until a really big number of Linux users lets them know how much they suck.
You know, if your relative's computers were infested with a bunch of nasty stuff.. I'd be more worried about the type of websites his kids were visiting. I'm not going to argue with OS is better, but I've been running XP for quite a long time and have never had a virus or a worm.
Sometimes it's not the computer, it's the user.
"Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
Yeah, but it's quite easy to infect Windows by accidentally clicking an ad or something. It doesn't necessarily mean the kids are watching Backdoor Sluts 9 :P
I know that it's cool to say 'hey, Linux is making headway' but it's also true to say that someone else is losing out.
Well, yes, obviously. But the people losing out are service providers who are providing an obsolete service. Here is a situation in which you can truly get something for nothing (Linux exists; if you use it (and if it doesn't suck admins) nobody loses. It's the ideal of communism, in which I take your cow but you still have your cow). And you're bellyaching about someone who was making money by creating artificial scarcity (you can only use an OS if you pay us) not being able to do so anymore.
This sounds like the argument "Wait--if we stop polluting our streams and rivers, people will just be able to drink from them FOR FREE! All the purveyors of expensive bottled spring water lose out!" How is that scary?
Does society lose?
"The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
Some people simply don't like choice. They don't like you having choice either. They like conformity and given a choice that is what they choose.
They are also inclinded to choose something which fits their own skills. So if your IT manager knows Microsoft, that's what you'll get to use.
because "The Media" don't pay the bills.
Linux will become more widely adopted during the coming year than in all of the years it has existed because of two things:
1) Its FREE. (big weight factor, like 70%.)
2) Its now "good enough on the desktop".(smaller weight factor, like 30%. [Managers have NEVER cared what hoops their underlings had to jump through.])
As for any M$ sponsored media campaign, its doomed to fail UNLESS M$ can get FOSS software declared illegal. (And don't think M$ isn't trying.)
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
goes in an outline around the cadaver.
Chalk mark: $1.00
Knowing where to put it: $49.00
Dealing with the dead body: Priceless
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
The article you cite, if I understand correctly, gives figures for web servers.
Web servers are not the same as data center servers. Linux is not yet dominant in data centers.
calling this an "economic downturn." it didnt work for bush, it didnt work for the fed, and its always been a recession. stop candycoating.
Good people go to bed earlier.
This is a major part of the problem, you scoff at the "blind leading the blind" when that is the problem, there exists the great wall of useability and access, and you are bound and determined to keep it that way on purpose.
You mean users should RTFM, which is the manual that doesn't exist except partially for 9 versions back and if you follow what is in that manual you'll screw up what is in the latest three versions?
Speaking as a non sys admin or programer, and just a desktop user, I find the RTFM option beyond laughable. The *best* you can get is trawl the support forums and google where 99% of the posts are people having problems with little to no solutions other than theoretical on some hardware sometimes as long as you are using mostly latest release point oh something pre beta and regress several packages and files to the old version and sacrifice chickens on the full moon and.....
Nowadays with this totally and completely insane quick release cycle fetish, combined with the developers immediately abandoning what is allegedly stable to go work on the next pre pre alpha version so they don't care much at all about bugfixes, there's no "learning linux" for newbs, it either works for them as delivered or does not, binary, no credible middle ground there. And you can't write manuals unless you understand it thoroughly AND what you are writing isn't obsolete in literally weeks because of new libraries or programming whatever whatnot shoved down the pipe. I mean geez, this is 2009, look at the status of linux sound. will they EVER just pick something to make sound come out of speakers and just make that work, and not abandon something from three months ago that was almost working for the newest ooh shiny "pulse" of complete code wanking crapdom?
There exists a real good desktop distro niche that none of the distros have filled yet (even ubuntu) for a linux for the masses that actually comes with intelligent and thoroughly documented support, this mystical manual you are going on about, and by necessity, and this is important, it will HAVE to be a paid-for distro so that those monies will go to the devs as an incentive to stay focused on making a release version that is complete and works and isn't perpetual betaware. People don't need the option of 10,000 programs that sorta work, they need maybe 100 that really do work and are fixed to the point of perfection as job #1. These now paid for devs WILL actually DO bugfixes, actually spend some decent time on the support forums, and actually write non geek readable manuals.
(man pages are not manuals for non programmers, they are acronym heavy mostly incomprehensible gibberish designed for a time when disk space was expensive, and that style of writing has carried over it appears--it is txtng shorthand for programmers to talk to other programmers who already have a previous pretty good idea of what is going on, not for joe average user wanting to use his machine and software)
AD/GPO: Kerberos and LDAP. The only reason why it's screwed up is because MS fuck about with the wire protocol. Try and get AD working in a SunOS network...
IIS: Sucks donkey balls compared to Apache. Both for capabilities, resource use and security. .NET: a hyped pile of shite. Program in C! Or Basic! As long as you code it in the same style as C#!
You're aiming at a point that's been expressed many times on /.
The primary reason the general populace uses Windows is because "it's familiar", meaning it's what we used in school, use at work, etc... Despite the fact that Windows and Linux-Gnome "feel" quite similar, it's still too different for those people that associate the internet explorer icon with "this is the internet".
Teaching kids how to actually use a computer may not mean Linux takes over, but it will at least level the playing field. Lets hope the next generation understands that Firefox, Internet Exploder, Opera, Konqueror, and so on will all get them the same internet, regardless of what OS it's running on.
The majority of problems come from email these days, not directly from websites. True, html-enabled email causes most of these problems, but to say it's the websites his kids are visiting is what is causing the problem is probably not the direct cause. I've seen plenty of adults (in the IT profession, even) that will download an attachment from their email or click on a link without thinking of the danger, simply because it comes from a known email address.
Watching NASA TV at MON 13:46 EST Discovery apologizes for delay in sending data, presumably from shuttle robo-scan, due to BSOD/reboot. Wouldn't it be nice if LINUX was onboard, esp. in this downturn, assuming of course the BSOD was a Windows BSOD?
A man spends the first half of his life accumulating stuff, the second trying to get rid of it all.
Someone mod him up, please?
I quite agree that Active Directory integrates well with DNS and others. Even if it's only a LDAP variation, I think it's one fine piece of work that Microsoft has produced.
This could just be a perfect storm. Vista has been a new version of ME, such that Microsoft is scrambling to get Windows 7 out into the wild and restore faith to the consumer, yet at the same time the economy is tanking, so no one can afford to upgrade, yet everyone wants all the cool tools. Looks like Microsoft's only hope is to ease up on piracy prosecutions until the economy gets better, otherwise, people may move to Linux just to get the cool features and not break the bank. Ha!! I can't wait to watch this one unfold over the next 6 months or so.
My software never has bugs.
It just develops random features.
Wait till Microsoft decides to "monetize" their market position there, making piracy difficult. The Vietnamese will realize then what suckers they've been.
would still be factually erroneous.
And yes, Microsoft is a dictatorship. You chose voluntarily to be their customer, just as the Germans chose the Nazis. But once in they own you: your use of the activated versions of Windows is completely under Microsoft's control. You are in their power.
1.1 % now?
Why would I want a desktop with a big smelly foot on it?
I lost my job paying $90k year recently, and I am in school, so I am basically bleeding out of savings and have little to know income.
Even so, I still am not allowing this downturn to cloud my better judgement. So I will continue to use my Windows XP and MS-DOS dual boot. Saving a little money on an OS just to have to deal with dirty feet and zombies is just not worth it.
That is all.
I've googled and found some information on the W902: When you attach the USB cable to the phone, the phone will prompt you to choose between Phone mode, Media transfer, Print, and Mass storage. ... With the USB cable, you can use your phone as an USB memory.
I am not sure whether the USB drive corresponds to the phone or the memory card. However, the T500 comes with Memory Stick slot, so you just need to remember to bring along the M2-to-memorystick adapter for the W902's M2 memory card.
Please see this page for more info.
"So yeah, of course mocking many here with things like GNU/Linux leg humpers, etc, is going to get you flamed in return. Not a great way to start an intelligent debate." - by Yfrwlf (998822) on Tuesday March 17, @12:18AM (#27221399)
Funny - My post was modded UP as "+2 Insightful", rather than being modded down in effete retaliation vs. the easily verified facts I posted above in regards to Windows stability & in both enterprise settings @ NASDAQ, and where Windows allows easy implementation of secured desktops from a central source (& yes, it's doable, see the user testimonial below), AND quite easily, vs. not so easy in Linux apparently (per the methods I noted above, whereas by way of comparison, Linux users cannot do so nearly as easily).
AND PLEASE: Guys, don't even TRY to tell me that the "Pro-*NIX" crowd here doesn't do any 'mocking' of Windows & Microsoft for Pete's sake: You KNOW they do!
(Heck, look @ the "BORG PICTURE" of Bill Gates used here as 1 single example thereof, & I "rest my case", on that note)
Anyhow/anyways, that all "said & aside"?
I'll top that off now, w/ a testimonial of how secured & stable a Windows NT-based OS of modern designs (2000/XP/Server 2003 &/or VISTA + Server2k8 also, since each responds to the techniques noted in the URL below just the same) can REALLY be, if done right, from the experiences of home users as well, after security-hardening Windows:
----
HOW TO SECURE Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 & even VISTA, + make it "fun-to-do", via CIS Tool Guidance (& beyond):
http://www.tcmagazine.com/forums/index.php?s=9783f30ecf36d1be841544233b95fdf8&showtopic=2662&st=0&start=0
----
USER FEEDBACK/TESTIMONIAL:
http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=c96cb88da236d4122a8aef2235caec6b&t=28430&page=3
(Using a verbatim quote/User Testimonial, of 1++ yr. virus/spyware/trojan/rootkit/worm/malware-in-general trouble-free stable, fast, & secure operation as the result while using Microsoft Windows once security-hardened)
----
"Its 2009 - still trouble free!
I was told last week by a co worker who does active directory administration, and he said I was doing overkill. I told him yes, but I just eliminated the half life in windows that you usually get. He said good point.
So from 2008 till 2009. No speed decreases, its been to a lan party, moved around in a move, and it still NEVER has had the OS reinstalled besides the fact I imaged the drive over in 2008.
Great stuff!
My client STILL Hasn't called me back in regards to that one machine to get it locked down for the kid. I am glad it worked and I am sure her wallet is appreciated too now that it works. Speaking of which, I need to call her to see if I can get some leads.
APK - I will say it again, the guide is FANTASTIC! Its made my PC experience much easier. Sandboxing was great. Getting my host file updated, setting services to system service, rather than system local. (except AVG updater, needed system local)"
THRONKA @ xtremepccentral.com
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As the saying goes?
"Nuff said"
(Albeit, this time, from the quoted/verbatim GOOD experience of an end-user on Windows as to speed, stability & reliability, and trouble-free operations from himself, his family + friends who have had him apply that guide's points, & also his paying clients as well, in addition to my "industrial environs" high tpm example from NASDAQ originally in my 1st post here).
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"Please point out areas in which GNU/Linux could use improvements, that will be a much more constructive
There is a SIMPLE explanation for that - it's called MONEY (the root of all you-know-what):
Given that since Linux costs nothing, & businesses don't spend if they do not have to?
Linux provides this "low rent solution", & no questions asked, for some things just fine (& I never said it did not @ times): Linux provides that 'something that works/does the job, @ low init. cost', but then, I never said it didn't have its place now, did I? No, not once.
(PLUS, & I said it in my 1st reply - "every OS in the right place" (more or less, in regards to niche use))
I.E.-> You pick the right man for the job in essence (businesses do this all the time with human personnel, buying labor that's cheap & does the job is "good enough")...
E.G-> Same in MIS/IS/IT: Whatever does the job, hopefully @ the least cost (the 1 thing Linux has going for it is zero init. purchase cost, by simply downloading & installing it + setting Linux up for a particular role)... student hires, from the "human side of the equation here", are a solid example in that they cost less, & may be less experienced but they can learn on the job & do cost less than 'seasoned experienced pros'. As long as the task @ hand doesn't have an "immediate deadline" looming, they fit the bill here nicely.
There is also the possibility in your sampleset that might be skewed statistics with an incomplete sampleset... but, I won't just throw out that statement, w/ out a LITTLE "backing" with a commonly accepted fact:
A widely known & recognized + commonly accepted fact exists. That is the fact that Windows NT-based OS' are in a GOOD solid 95%++ or so percentage of being the most used OS on the planet there is, vs. all other competitors, such as *NIX variants!
(Windows maintains that enormously large % of leadership by virtue of its greater usage, all the way from home end user desktops &/or LANs, to departmental LANS, up to enterprise WAN usage as well as a server in back office application/mission-critical application (such as the NASDAQ example I used which is easily verifiable no less)).
APK
P.S.=> You have you "netcraft stats", indicative of server class usage of Linux (I don't doubt it for the reasons I stated above either, cheap cost & does the job + the fact that in my init. post, I said "every OS has its niche/place")
vs.
My simply stating facts to the contrary (which nobody really doubts, like Windows being the most utilized OS overall especially on the most used hardware platform for PC's there is, in x86, that there is, & has been, for decades now, as well as Windows doing VERY WELL in "industrial environs" such as NASDAQ via SQLServer 2005, & also widespread usage of Windows + Exchange as a mail server, & especially for internal AD lans/wans usage thereof)... apk
Steve Ballmer is sweating bullets right now.
Good post ac apk. It is hilarious watching the NIX people here squirm vs. facts they cannot deny such as their inability the other day to be able to mass deploy policies and security settings on Linux the way Windows users and network engineers are able to. It is funny too, considering they often do that to us Windows fans and now I see them asking you not to do so here. I was also very amused when you used not only the data from nasdaq and the success Windows + sqlserver enjoy there but also the later posts you made that also had end user data in them experiencing the same level of speed, stability, and security. I read your guide long ago from a posting about it here and have gotten into the 84/100 range on cistool so far thanks to your guide.