I have been using TWiki since 2002. I used to have binders before that, but searching through binders is a pain. TWiki provides version control automatically on all documents. Documents are kept in text files. You can use HTML tags plus TWiki's own markup language. There is no database backend so you don't have to worry about database corruption.
Subjects can be organised into "webs", which are colour-coded to make them visually distinct. Each web is a directory with its own internal structure, templates, etc.
I can upload binary files which are attached to the particular topic, so I can add screenshots, config files, router configuration files, executables, tgz files, PDFs, etc.
I use TWiki to track my projects, customers, network layouts, scripts, code, documentation, pictures, basically my entire life.
In response to the idea that my descendants will not be able to access this chronicle of my life, since TWiki is basically a bunch of folders with text files, as long as one browser that can be basic HTML and text survives, this information will be available.
To me, TWiki is my superpower. It has turned your average geek into a Guru, despite being over 50 years old and not able to remember anything from last week, I have a tool that allows me to recall commands I used in Windows 95/3.11, code snippets from the green screen era of System V UNIX, MS-DOS, Novell, OS/2 and C/PM.
Because TWiki supports HTML, I have built screens that allowed me to manage networks with hyperlinks to run VNC to connect to users' desktop PCs, phones, printers, PBXes, servers. I have code from hacking cellphones, databases, weird little one-off projects like swipe card interfaces. Code snippets in dBase, C, SQL, PHP, Informix, VisualBasic.
All searchable with regular expressions.
Blessed Ishtar, how does one live without a wiki? I literally can't remember life without it.
My Nokia 6230b just gave up the ghost this week. Loved that phone. It's fallen off my motorbike, hit the ground, broke into 4 pieces. I put them back together and it worked. So I bought me another Nokia. Let's see how long that one will last.
O5, huh?
I got me an X20 whose BIOS says 1999. It has a Pentium III 600MHz with a whopping 192MB RAM. Love the keyboard. I use it as my morning PC when I'm drinking my coffee upstairs looking out at the tropical forest around my home. I like old computers. Also got a Model M keyboard but my wife uses it now. I'll have to steal it back from her someday. She doesn't appreciate it.
I love my Dell Mini 9's but they're young still, from 2008. I take one on my bike with me. Rock solid. I got three of them, so by the magic of parts replacement, at least one should last a while.
My most important habit for system administration is to record things in my wiki. I have been maintaining it since 2002. Every shell script, procedure, config file, screenshot goes into it. All my daily personal logs (with timestamps) go into it. Network layouts, tips, tricks, shortcuts, links to tutorials, whatever.
It has become my personal superpower. There is nothing more important as a tool. If you are not using one, start today. I can't recommend it enough.
I concur.
There are 2 mistakes I have made in the past.
One is to fix something that people thought was impossible to fix. That sets you up as a godlike figure. People start to expect the impossible as a matter of course.
The second is about not pacing myself. You have to establish an understanding with your employers/userbase that a request takes X amount of time, be it 2 days or a week. Once you have established that, you are giving yourself time to fix the ones that really take a week. The rest of the time you are giving yourself time to think about the job and prepare for problems to happen. You also have to establish habits like ACTUALLY taking an hour to eat lunch instead of eating at your desk.
The important message to convey is that good system administration takes time.
Sad but true. The better you get at this job, the more weight you put on.
What we need, is an augmented reality device that let us work while jogging. Or something...
Uh, Slackware? Closest thing to SysV UNIX I've used. Doesn't get in your way when you want to do something. Rock solid stable. I've tried all the other distros and keep coming back to Slackware. Spent my 80s on UNIX, my 90s on Windows, now on Slackware on the Y2K era. Never looked back.
No, really, Slackware. Never mind it gets bad press from all the *buntu fanbois. Slackware does NOT get in your way. Hackable to the extreme. Comes with 5 different desktop environments, pick one. Don't like it, install something else. Slackware don't care. You can make it work YOUR way. No strange shit happening in the night while you sleep.
I often think people like *buntu coz it reminds them of how Windows behaved. *buntu keeps doing strange shit when you not looking. Slackware? Something not working, you got a hardware problem. This thing just works. Every day, all day, all night. Boring really. The good kind of boring. Like mainframe boring, Novell Netware boring, OS/2 boring, SysV boring. Damn thing just works, no hysterics.
And they don't go changing the initialization system on you, either. Same old boring init scripts we've been using since Adam was a boy.
Get it here -> http://www.slackware.com./ See the boring website. This is the oldest distro around. Kernel version - 3.10.17-smp. Boring, no drama.
What users are accustomed to, is a paradigm. Double-click on an icon to open it, click on the X in the upper right hand window to close a window, etc. Change that and they get confused. But as long as the new desktop obeys the same rules, they are ok.
XFCE by default, behaves according to that paradigm. So it is not difficult to transition users from XP to XFCE. I have done it. With the proverbial grey-haired, fussy, old biddy who complained for everything. Never complained about the new desktop. Just wanted to know how to save to a USB drive.
I've even put KDE for some users and they loved all the sexy desktop effects.
And oh yes, they've been using it for 3 years now and are quite comfortable with it. It all depends on how you approach the transition. In the end, it is not about the technology, it is about the people. If you take time with them and make them feel comfortable, it will work.
My experience is different. In my last job, I put down Slackware desktops to replace Windows XP. In conversation with the managing director, we were debating XFCE vs KDE. I wanted to use XFCE but he said, 'Give them the bling!'. So I put KDE in the Sales department and they loved it. I showed them all the sexy effects and they lapped it up. In the Accounts department, I put the XFCE desktop. In the end, XFCE was simpler for me. But the KDE users never complained. They loved it. Mind you, I did not try configuring it like XP. I just gave them the standard setup.
I would suggest using XFCE as the desktop. It's easy to transition users from XP to XFCE. The windows work the same. You can configure it for double-click or single-click to open icons, etc. Click on the X in the upper right hand corner to close Windows, etc.
As for the distro, I chose Slackware after experimenting with Linux Mint. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but it makes for a more stable environment becoz users can't just download and install stuff on their own. Slackware requires more work to install stuff and that's actually a good thing. It ensures that the working environment doesn't change without you being involved. Makes for a very controlled environment. Plus, Slackware is wicked fast even on crap machines.
The main headache is going to be stuff like incompatible printers. Stay away from Canon ImageRunners - no drivers. Use HP or Brother printers. HP has some multi-function machines that actually have web interfaces to do scanning.
For really necessary Windows applications, use a Virtual machine. You can have a desktop with both Windows and Linux icons on it at the same time using Virtualbox's seamless mode. My younger brother uses it all the time.
But, strategically, you should be promoting the web instead of the desktop. I'd hook people up with Gmail accounts and have them sharing documents and calendars across that. It's really more productive. Just my two cents.
All right, I am not disagreeing with you, but, in practice, how often does that occur?
I have transitioned five organisations to Google Apps/OpenOffice. They all have external partners in various parts of the world. People make do. They learn to send PDFs if formatting becomes an issue.
Listen, this is a problem even between versions of Microsoft Office, if I'm not mistaken. It's part of the reason the term 'forced upgrade' was invented. So, it's not just limited to Linux desktop environments. That was why there was this big controversy over the ODF standard in Europe.
And this is being worked out between organisations all the time. Nobody is so big that they don't need to compromise when dealing with external parties.
So, push come to shove, you could maintain a virtual machine somewhere for the express purpose of converting documents if need be. For 10 workstations, I don't see this as a problem. If the management wants to avoid upgrading the machines, they can work this out without too much of a fuss. It's a matter of talking it out, not a technical issue.
It's possible to replace XP with Linux. I've done that in a company with non-technical users.
You just have to select your targets carefully.
If you want to replace Windows desktop applications with Linux desktop applications, you may be barking up the wrong tree. In this company, we replaced Microsoft Office applications with Google Apps. This takes time but it does work. Once you have people settled into Google Apps, the desktop becomes irrelevant. I changed people from XP to Slackware Linux desktops without any fuss. Yeah, Slackware, not Ubuntu. And they loved the speed of response.
If you sit back and think about it, the desktop without applications just provides operating system services like networking, printing, a graphical environment, etc. Once people get used to the paradigm of clicking on icons to open windows, clicking on the X in the corner to close the window, etc, one graphical environment is pretty much the same as the other.
Now there are always applications that can't be replaced. I would create a virtual machine to handle those applications. Virtualbox provides a remote desktop server for its virtual machines, so the users can use rdesktop to connect to the virtual machines.
I would go so far to say that you should think of replacing all Windows XP machines with either Linux machines or thin clients. Move the essential applications to a server running Terminal Services and have the users login onto that server if they need a Windows desktop. Windows Server 2003 looks and feels pretty much like Windows XP, so that transition would not be too unsettling. If the server is powerful enough, they should actually get a peformance boost from working off the server.
So, the end of support for Windows XP doesn't have to be traumatic. You have options - a cloud-based desktop like Google Apps, a Linux desktop, or a Terminal Services-provided desktop. All are doable, manageable, for 10 workstations.
At work, we use Linux for web, email, some database stuff. We have a Slackware server running the free VMWare server, hosting W2K. About 20 people use the W2K server via rdesktop on diskless workstations from http://www.disklessworkstations.com/ which boot Linux. They don't even know they're running Linux.
It's worked so well, that we've decided not to buy any more PCs, only diskless workstations. We've also changed the low-end PCs into diskless workstations as well.
We still have a WinNT PDC, so I can't answer about AD. We have a SQL Server 7 database server, which supports a mission critical app written in Visual Basic. I can't get rid of that.
But we have stopped writing reports and programs for the Windows environment a long time ago. We develop everything now for the web, using PHP/FreeTDS to query the database server.
End result. The business has benefited. Once you write an app for the web, it's instantly installed. There is no need to go around to each workstation to install anything. You just send out an email with the URL to the new app or report. Instant upgrade.
We have only 2 people in our IT dept. The other guy uses W2K as his desktop most of the time. I use only Slackware. If I have to do something in Windows, I'll rdesktop to a server to do it.
So yes, it's all possible. Is it good for the business? Yes. My boss is happy. He likes the idea of spending less on IT using open source.
There are probably much more complex scenarios than the one we have to deal with. But Linux + the web are making the desktop obsolete anyhow.
I think this is why Microsoft is concentrating so much on the gaming platform. They know the desktop is doomed. If you can get from the web what you used to get from the desktop, all you need is a light desktop.
This is why the server is so much more important than the desktop. And Linux excels on the server. So I'd go with the idea "convert the server first, the desktop will follow".
I have no idea how education in the US works, but it seems to me that Linux would be a great benefit to schools if they used the idea of diskless workstations. It would reduce a lot of the management problems. Even if fat clients were insisted on, Linux would still be easier to manage, even remotely. In addition, Linux is also useful even if Windows is insisted on.
In my day-to-day working environment, we use Linux on diskless workstations. We can deliver either a Windows desktop or a Linux desktop to the user, simply changing one line in a file. (The Windows desktop is provided by using rdesktop to login into Windows Terminal Server. The Windows machine itself is a virtual server running on the free VMWARE server. The VMWARE server runs on top of Slackware Linux.)
I can see a scenario where a teacher can set up an entire classroom of diskless workstations simply by using a webform to select which environment she or he wants for the particular class. Since all configuration is done at the server, there is no need to go around to each individual workstation to install software/do upgrades etc. All software maintenance/configuration is done at the server.
The only maintenance is of the server and the network infrastructure, not the individual workstations. And a lot of the work is already done for you by the LTSP, which has a special interest in education. It's really amazing that teachers are not aware of the wonderful work which has been done in this area.
I remember being part of a group that got the LTSP project up and working without even reading the documentation one afternoon.
The thing is that Linux offers the ability to do so much more for much less cost. And yes, there is a cost in training but that is true of ALL software. And the training cost is offset by the reduced maintenance cost.
In addition, using a diskless workstation environment places control over the desktop in the hands of the system administrator, not in the hands of some virus writer.
If diskless workstations won't cut it, you can try LiveCDs which can be customised to suit the exact needs of the educator. Try SLAX which is easily modified. The great benefit of LiveCDs is that the educator can give them out to the students. Think of having the entire course on a LiveCD which the student can take home and use for homework.
I think people don't realise the incredible potential of Linux in education. Their previous experience with Windows, has them so shell-shocked that the mere idea of change is overwhelming. It's true that Linux has not yet been fine-tuned to meet all expectations. But with good will and elbow grease, that will change.
Earlier this year, I worked on a project to connect a barcode scanner to a cellphone using a daughter board that connected to the SIM socket. The end result was to send a SMS message with the barcode to a database.
It was the first time I had ever worked on anything to do with hardware and I was amazed when it worked. I have absolutely no training in electronics at all. The daughterboard used a pair of AVR microcontrollers.
The guy producing the daughterboard, was really helpful. His site is at http://www.bladox.com./ Check out the interesting boards he produces.
The general idea is before the PC boots off the hard drive, you set it up to boot off the NIC. It searches for a DHCP server, uses TFTP to download a command interpreter called BpBatch.
Bpbatch is an extremely powerful tool. It can run scripts (stored on your hidden Linux server) which control the booting process. It can partition/format the local hard drive and download images (using a utility called MrZip (like Ghost)).
It has a bunch of capabilities. You seriously need to read up on this.
Kept me sane. You can create images of each type of machine with its Windows version. Store it on a server. A Linux server that you have hidden somewhere with a BIG hard drive. Anytime something goes wrong, you download the image for that particular machine. Result, the machine works perfectly again. The virus or whatever is gone. You, the hero.
This is based on PXE/DHCP/TFTP technology. So you'll need to have NICs that understand PXE. It helps if you can standardise on a few basic models of PCs.
You can use the MAC address of each NIC to link to the correct image for the particular PC. As long as the MAC address doesn't change, it's a no brainer.
You can set up menus to control which image you choose to download for a particular session. You can edit the registry or.INI files from files prepared, stored and protected under your control from your server. You can patch files while the PC is booting. You can store variables inside/etc/dhcp.conf which end up being used by BpBatch. These variables can indicate stuff like the IP address of the gateway for that PC or the DNS server or other networking stuff you need to control.
You also partition/format using the Bpbatch interpreter while the machine is booting. So one minute the machine can have just a Windows install, the next it can have a Linux install, or a dual boot configuration. You can boot off a floppy image stored on the server to do maintenace work without having to have floppies on you. (Cause you've disconnected all those floppy drives, haven't you?)
Hey, if you want to do a little after-hours experimenting with super-computer clusters... just create an image and roll it out. Five minutes later... instant Beowulf! With the big drives PCs have nowadays, why not? The users'll never know.:)
More seriously, you can have images for Marketing, Sales, Management, Engineering, whatever. Once you have the images sorted out, you just need to manage updates. But for each image, you do the work once. Then, you set the script to download the image, call the user, tell him/her to reboot, the updated image downloads, end of story.
You can download host files, command files, DLLs, patches, updates. You can be in control.
Of course, you'll be working towards the eventual goal of replacing every single Windows server as your primary target.:)
Most important - negotiate "acceptable levels of service" agreements with your superiors! Don't even attempt to implement the smallest non-Windows software without the complete understanding and agreement of your superiors. Please take me seriously on this. Windows is going to drive you crazy. Make sure THEY understand the hell you are going through. As important as actually running the system is, you need to manage your uplink to management. Nuff said!
I visited the winter home of Thomas Edison in Florida once. It has stayed with me ever since. I was inspired by the rows and rows of light bulbs. Tom just kept on trying over and over until he got it right. He tried everything he could think of as a filament, even bamboo soaked in brine.
He is, IMO, the First Real Geek. Pioneer, persistent, genius, self-sustaining. A real Geek hero, if ever there was one. You owe it to yourself to visit.
Remember he did all this before electricity was even popular. He knew he'd have to create electric light before he could ever sell electricity.
He also invented the recording industry, so he's the father of every storage device we now use.
My Geek Hero!
Slashdot Mirror
Subjects can be organised into "webs", which are colour-coded to make them visually distinct. Each web is a directory with its own internal structure, templates, etc.
I can upload binary files which are attached to the particular topic, so I can add screenshots, config files, router configuration files, executables, tgz files, PDFs, etc.
I use TWiki to track my projects, customers, network layouts, scripts, code, documentation, pictures, basically my entire life.
In response to the idea that my descendants will not be able to access this chronicle of my life, since TWiki is basically a bunch of folders with text files, as long as one browser that can be basic HTML and text survives, this information will be available.
To me, TWiki is my superpower. It has turned your average geek into a Guru, despite being over 50 years old and not able to remember anything from last week, I have a tool that allows me to recall commands I used in Windows 95/3.11, code snippets from the green screen era of System V UNIX, MS-DOS, Novell, OS/2 and C/PM.
Because TWiki supports HTML, I have built screens that allowed me to manage networks with hyperlinks to run VNC to connect to users' desktop PCs, phones, printers, PBXes, servers. I have code from hacking cellphones, databases, weird little one-off projects like swipe card interfaces. Code snippets in dBase, C, SQL, PHP, Informix, VisualBasic.
All searchable with regular expressions.
Blessed Ishtar, how does one live without a wiki? I literally can't remember life without it.
My Nokia 6230b just gave up the ghost this week. Loved that phone. It's fallen off my motorbike, hit the ground, broke into 4 pieces. I put them back together and it worked. So I bought me another Nokia. Let's see how long that one will last.
O5, huh?
I got me an X20 whose BIOS says 1999. It has a Pentium III 600MHz with a whopping 192MB RAM. Love the keyboard. I use it as my morning PC when I'm drinking my coffee upstairs looking out at the tropical forest around my home. I like old computers. Also got a Model M keyboard but my wife uses it now. I'll have to steal it back from her someday. She doesn't appreciate it.
I love my Dell Mini 9's but they're young still, from 2008. I take one on my bike with me. Rock solid. I got three of them, so by the magic of parts replacement, at least one should last a while.
It has become my personal superpower. There is nothing more important as a tool. If you are not using one, start today. I can't recommend it enough.
I concur. There are 2 mistakes I have made in the past. One is to fix something that people thought was impossible to fix. That sets you up as a godlike figure. People start to expect the impossible as a matter of course. The second is about not pacing myself. You have to establish an understanding with your employers/userbase that a request takes X amount of time, be it 2 days or a week. Once you have established that, you are giving yourself time to fix the ones that really take a week. The rest of the time you are giving yourself time to think about the job and prepare for problems to happen. You also have to establish habits like ACTUALLY taking an hour to eat lunch instead of eating at your desk. The important message to convey is that good system administration takes time.
Sad but true. The better you get at this job, the more weight you put on. What we need, is an augmented reality device that let us work while jogging. Or something ...
No, really, Slackware. Never mind it gets bad press from all the *buntu fanbois. Slackware does NOT get in your way. Hackable to the extreme. Comes with 5 different desktop environments, pick one. Don't like it, install something else. Slackware don't care. You can make it work YOUR way. No strange shit happening in the night while you sleep.
I often think people like *buntu coz it reminds them of how Windows behaved. *buntu keeps doing strange shit when you not looking. Slackware? Something not working, you got a hardware problem. This thing just works. Every day, all day, all night. Boring really. The good kind of boring. Like mainframe boring, Novell Netware boring, OS/2 boring, SysV boring. Damn thing just works, no hysterics.
And they don't go changing the initialization system on you, either. Same old boring init scripts we've been using since Adam was a boy. Get it here -> http://www.slackware.com./ See the boring website. This is the oldest distro around. Kernel version - 3.10.17-smp. Boring, no drama.
Want Gnome? Get it here -> http://www.droplinegnome.org/. Can't imagine why anybody would.
Thank me later.
What users are accustomed to, is a paradigm. Double-click on an icon to open it, click on the X in the upper right hand window to close a window, etc. Change that and they get confused. But as long as the new desktop obeys the same rules, they are ok.
XFCE by default, behaves according to that paradigm. So it is not difficult to transition users from XP to XFCE. I have done it. With the proverbial grey-haired, fussy, old biddy who complained for everything. Never complained about the new desktop. Just wanted to know how to save to a USB drive.
I've even put KDE for some users and they loved all the sexy desktop effects.
And oh yes, they've been using it for 3 years now and are quite comfortable with it. It all depends on how you approach the transition. In the end, it is not about the technology, it is about the people. If you take time with them and make them feel comfortable, it will work.
My experience is different. In my last job, I put down Slackware desktops to replace Windows XP. In conversation with the managing director, we were debating XFCE vs KDE. I wanted to use XFCE but he said, 'Give them the bling!'. So I put KDE in the Sales department and they loved it. I showed them all the sexy effects and they lapped it up. In the Accounts department, I put the XFCE desktop. In the end, XFCE was simpler for me. But the KDE users never complained. They loved it. Mind you, I did not try configuring it like XP. I just gave them the standard setup.
I would suggest using XFCE as the desktop. It's easy to transition users from XP to XFCE. The windows work the same. You can configure it for double-click or single-click to open icons, etc. Click on the X in the upper right hand corner to close Windows, etc.
As for the distro, I chose Slackware after experimenting with Linux Mint. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but it makes for a more stable environment becoz users can't just download and install stuff on their own. Slackware requires more work to install stuff and that's actually a good thing. It ensures that the working environment doesn't change without you being involved. Makes for a very controlled environment. Plus, Slackware is wicked fast even on crap machines.
The main headache is going to be stuff like incompatible printers. Stay away from Canon ImageRunners - no drivers. Use HP or Brother printers. HP has some multi-function machines that actually have web interfaces to do scanning.
For really necessary Windows applications, use a Virtual machine. You can have a desktop with both Windows and Linux icons on it at the same time using Virtualbox's seamless mode. My younger brother uses it all the time.
But, strategically, you should be promoting the web instead of the desktop. I'd hook people up with Gmail accounts and have them sharing documents and calendars across that. It's really more productive. Just my two cents.
I have transitioned five organisations to Google Apps/OpenOffice. They all have external partners in various parts of the world. People make do. They learn to send PDFs if formatting becomes an issue.
Listen, this is a problem even between versions of Microsoft Office, if I'm not mistaken. It's part of the reason the term 'forced upgrade' was invented. So, it's not just limited to Linux desktop environments. That was why there was this big controversy over the ODF standard in Europe.
And this is being worked out between organisations all the time. Nobody is so big that they don't need to compromise when dealing with external parties.
So, push come to shove, you could maintain a virtual machine somewhere for the express purpose of converting documents if need be. For 10 workstations, I don't see this as a problem. If the management wants to avoid upgrading the machines, they can work this out without too much of a fuss. It's a matter of talking it out, not a technical issue.
But when you think that you don't have to
Google Apps just makes sense.
You just have to select your targets carefully.
If you want to replace Windows desktop applications with Linux desktop applications, you may be barking up the wrong tree. In this company, we replaced Microsoft Office applications with Google Apps. This takes time but it does work. Once you have people settled into Google Apps, the desktop becomes irrelevant. I changed people from XP to Slackware Linux desktops without any fuss. Yeah, Slackware, not Ubuntu. And they loved the speed of response.
If you sit back and think about it, the desktop without applications just provides operating system services like networking, printing, a graphical environment, etc. Once people get used to the paradigm of clicking on icons to open windows, clicking on the X in the corner to close the window, etc, one graphical environment is pretty much the same as the other.
Now there are always applications that can't be replaced. I would create a virtual machine to handle those applications. Virtualbox provides a remote desktop server for its virtual machines, so the users can use rdesktop to connect to the virtual machines.
I would go so far to say that you should think of replacing all Windows XP machines with either Linux machines or thin clients. Move the essential applications to a server running Terminal Services and have the users login onto that server if they need a Windows desktop. Windows Server 2003 looks and feels pretty much like Windows XP, so that transition would not be too unsettling. If the server is powerful enough, they should actually get a peformance boost from working off the server.
So, the end of support for Windows XP doesn't have to be traumatic. You have options - a cloud-based desktop like Google Apps, a Linux desktop, or a Terminal Services-provided desktop. All are doable, manageable, for 10 workstations.
It's worked so well, that we've decided not to buy any more PCs, only diskless workstations. We've also changed the low-end PCs into diskless workstations as well.
We still have a WinNT PDC, so I can't answer about AD. We have a SQL Server 7 database server, which supports a mission critical app written in Visual Basic. I can't get rid of that.
But we have stopped writing reports and programs for the Windows environment a long time ago. We develop everything now for the web, using PHP/FreeTDS to query the database server.
End result. The business has benefited. Once you write an app for the web, it's instantly installed. There is no need to go around to each workstation to install anything. You just send out an email with the URL to the new app or report. Instant upgrade.
We have only 2 people in our IT dept. The other guy uses W2K as his desktop most of the time. I use only Slackware. If I have to do something in Windows, I'll rdesktop to a server to do it.
So yes, it's all possible. Is it good for the business? Yes. My boss is happy. He likes the idea of spending less on IT using open source.
There are probably much more complex scenarios than the one we have to deal with. But Linux + the web are making the desktop obsolete anyhow.
I think this is why Microsoft is concentrating so much on the gaming platform. They know the desktop is doomed. If you can get from the web what you used to get from the desktop, all you need is a light desktop.
This is why the server is so much more important than the desktop. And Linux excels on the server. So I'd go with the idea "convert the server first, the desktop will follow".
In my day-to-day working environment, we use Linux on diskless workstations. We can deliver either a Windows desktop or a Linux desktop to the user, simply changing one line in a file. (The Windows desktop is provided by using rdesktop to login into Windows Terminal Server. The Windows machine itself is a virtual server running on the free VMWARE server. The VMWARE server runs on top of Slackware Linux.)
I can see a scenario where a teacher can set up an entire classroom of diskless workstations simply by using a webform to select which environment she or he wants for the particular class. Since all configuration is done at the server, there is no need to go around to each individual workstation to install software/do upgrades etc. All software maintenance/configuration is done at the server.
The only maintenance is of the server and the network infrastructure, not the individual workstations. And a lot of the work is already done for you by the LTSP, which has a special interest in education. It's really amazing that teachers are not aware of the wonderful work which has been done in this area.
I remember being part of a group that got the LTSP project up and working without even reading the documentation one afternoon.
The thing is that Linux offers the ability to do so much more for much less cost. And yes, there is a cost in training but that is true of ALL software. And the training cost is offset by the reduced maintenance cost.
In addition, using a diskless workstation environment places control over the desktop in the hands of the system administrator, not in the hands of some virus writer.
If diskless workstations won't cut it, you can try LiveCDs which can be customised to suit the exact needs of the educator. Try SLAX which is easily modified. The great benefit of LiveCDs is that the educator can give them out to the students. Think of having the entire course on a LiveCD which the student can take home and use for homework.
I think people don't realise the incredible potential of Linux in education. Their previous experience with Windows, has them so shell-shocked that the mere idea of change is overwhelming. It's true that Linux has not yet been fine-tuned to meet all expectations. But with good will and elbow grease, that will change.
Earlier this year, I worked on a project to connect a barcode scanner to a cellphone using a daughter board that connected to the SIM socket. The end result was to send a SMS message with the barcode to a database. It was the first time I had ever worked on anything to do with hardware and I was amazed when it worked. I have absolutely no training in electronics at all. The daughterboard used a pair of AVR microcontrollers. The guy producing the daughterboard, was really helpful. His site is at http://www.bladox.com./ Check out the interesting boards he produces.
The general idea is before the PC boots off the hard drive, you set it up to boot off the NIC. It searches for a DHCP server, uses TFTP to download a command interpreter called BpBatch.
Bpbatch is an extremely powerful tool. It can run scripts (stored on your hidden Linux server) which control the booting process. It can partition/format the local hard drive and download images (using a utility called MrZip (like Ghost)).
It has a bunch of capabilities. You seriously need to read up on this.
Kept me sane. You can create images of each type of machine with its Windows version. Store it on a server. A Linux server that you have hidden somewhere with a BIG hard drive. Anytime something goes wrong, you download the image for that particular machine. Result, the machine works perfectly again. The virus or whatever is gone. You, the hero.
This is based on PXE/DHCP/TFTP technology. So you'll need to have NICs that understand PXE. It helps if you can standardise on a few basic models of PCs.
You can use the MAC address of each NIC to link to the correct image for the particular PC. As long as the MAC address doesn't change, it's a no brainer.
You can set up menus to control which image you choose to download for a particular session. You can edit the registry or .INI files from files prepared, stored and protected under your control from your server. You can patch files while the PC is booting. You can store variables inside /etc/dhcp.conf which end up being used by BpBatch. These variables can indicate stuff like the IP address of the gateway for that PC or the DNS server or other networking stuff you need to control.
You also partition/format using the Bpbatch interpreter while the machine is booting. So one minute the machine can have just a Windows install, the next it can have a Linux install, or a dual boot configuration. You can boot off a floppy image stored on the server to do maintenace work without having to have floppies on you. (Cause you've disconnected all those floppy drives, haven't you?)
Hey, if you want to do a little after-hours experimenting with super-computer clusters ... just create an image and roll it out. Five minutes later ... instant Beowulf! With the big drives PCs have nowadays, why not? The users'll never know. :)
More seriously, you can have images for Marketing, Sales, Management, Engineering, whatever. Once you have the images sorted out, you just need to manage updates. But for each image, you do the work once. Then, you set the script to download the image, call the user, tell him/her to reboot, the updated image downloads, end of story.
You can download host files, command files, DLLs, patches, updates. You can be in control.
Of course, you'll be working towards the eventual goal of replacing every single Windows server as your primary target. :)
Most important - negotiate "acceptable levels of service" agreements with your superiors! Don't even attempt to implement the smallest non-Windows software without the complete understanding and agreement of your superiors. Please take me seriously on this. Windows is going to drive you crazy. Make sure THEY understand the hell you are going through. As important as actually running the system is, you need to manage your uplink to management. Nuff said!
I visited the winter home of Thomas Edison in Florida once. It has stayed with me ever since.
I was inspired by the rows and rows of light bulbs. Tom just kept on trying over and over until he got it right. He tried everything he could think of as a filament, even bamboo soaked in brine.
He is, IMO, the First Real Geek. Pioneer, persistent, genius, self-sustaining. A real Geek hero, if ever there was one. You owe it to yourself to visit.
Remember he did all this before electricity was even popular. He knew he'd have to create electric light before he could ever sell electricity. He also invented the recording industry, so he's the father of every storage device we now use.
My Geek Hero!