Moral issues aside, some companies are so lax in their security policies that they make it easy for those so inclined to take revenge.
On my first day at a drug and alcohol rehab place where I used to work, I found a floppy disk (remember those?) in one of my desk drawers with everyone's salary, social security numbers, etc.
I turned it in to management with a suggestion they be more careful, but I could just as easily been a dick about it. I found out later that a previous sysadmin had done just that, locking them out of the network when they fired him.
You'd think people would learn. Just more proof that you don't have to be particularly smart to be in charge.
It's interesting to read posts about drivers and such, but the reasons Linux hasn't been adopted by the masses are social, not technical. Say what you want about Microsoft (and believe me, I have), it has at least provided a standard operating system that most people feel safe in adopting. Not so the penguin, whose multiple distros and minority status are major barriers to anyone looking for an alternative OS. Name brands succeed for a reason: people want comfort and familiarity, whether it's a local watering hole or an operating system for their PC.
Once Linux has achieves 50% market penetration or more, people will flock to it. But for that to happen, there will have to be a sea change in the way it's perceived. In other words, a major distributor will have to emerge, narrowing peoples' choices -- the way Microsoft did back in the 80s. Maybe Google will pick up the banner; ghod knows they're taking over everything else. But in the meantime, any discussion of the widespread adoption of Linux will have to take the social aspect into consideration. Populism may not be pretty, but it's essential in selling technology to the proles.
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Moral issues aside, some companies are so lax in their security policies that they make it easy for those so inclined to take revenge. On my first day at a drug and alcohol rehab place where I used to work, I found a floppy disk (remember those?) in one of my desk drawers with everyone's salary, social security numbers, etc. I turned it in to management with a suggestion they be more careful, but I could just as easily been a dick about it. I found out later that a previous sysadmin had done just that, locking them out of the network when they fired him. You'd think people would learn. Just more proof that you don't have to be particularly smart to be in charge.
I agree with this guy.
It's interesting to read posts about drivers and such, but the reasons Linux hasn't been adopted by the masses are social, not technical. Say what you want about Microsoft (and believe me, I have), it has at least provided a standard operating system that most people feel safe in adopting. Not so the penguin, whose multiple distros and minority status are major barriers to anyone looking for an alternative OS. Name brands succeed for a reason: people want comfort and familiarity, whether it's a local watering hole or an operating system for their PC.
Once Linux has achieves 50% market penetration or more, people will flock to it. But for that to happen, there will have to be a sea change in the way it's perceived. In other words, a major distributor will have to emerge, narrowing peoples' choices -- the way Microsoft did back in the 80s. Maybe Google will pick up the banner; ghod knows they're taking over everything else. But in the meantime, any discussion of the widespread adoption of Linux will have to take the social aspect into consideration. Populism may not be pretty, but it's essential in selling technology to the proles.
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