Re: Users ready for Debian on the Desktop
On Fri, 2003-04-18 at 14:53, bob parker wrote:
> On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 07:50, Ian D. Stewart wrote:
>
> > I've been following this thread with some interest. I'm going from the
> > other side of the fence, as it were. Part of my duties at my paying job
> > include evaluating new technology and making adoption recommendations.
> >
> > Some of the things I take into consideration when evaluating a new
> > product:
> >
> > * Does it address a business requirement not currently met
>
> It is stable, Windows is not. There is nothing subjective about that.
> Granted WXP is more stable, but it still does degrade it's own environment
> and consequently requires to reinstalled from time to time. I have heard some
> argument that the latter "feature" is programmed in deliberately, though I
> prefer not to blame malice for that which is likely caused by incompetence.
In an office environment this is not as significant as it would be in a
server environment. Uptime measured in days (or weeks/months/years) is
irrelevant if your users start their computers up in the morning and
shut them down at night. And as you mentioned, Windows' stability has
improved over the years. From what I've seen, XP is actually *less*
stable than 2000. 2003 is supposed to have increased emphasis on
security and stability.
Of course we won't know how much of that is just marketing until we
actually put it through its paces.
Additionally, the inclusion of Gnome and KDE (the two major desktop
environments which make Linux competitive w/ Windows on the desktop) are
starting to intruduce the same sort of bloat that has been plagueing
Windows for years. I still think Linux has a definite edge where
performance is concerned, but it's not as dramatic as it used to be.
>
> > * What is the impact of migrating to the new product?
>
> For most business users nothing adverse, and if particular machines must be
> shared probably a positive outcome because of the security of personal files
> and configurations. Clearly, there will be particular applications where
> migration is not presently feasible. There is no real reason why a shop can
> not be mixed during a transition.
This, IMO, is one of Linux' greatest strengths as a server. The fact
that solutions such as Samba allow it to act as a print/file server for
Windows as well as for Linux and other UNIX platforms using more
conventional methods. This is what I like to refer to as modifying
technology to fit the business, instead of the other way around.
>
> > * If technology-related, does the development staff have the skills
> > necessary to leverage the new technology (i.e., if it's based on COM/VB
> > it probably won't get adopted in a Java shop, and vice-versa).
>
> Well Java is cross platform, the other two are designed to lock people into a
> monopoly.
While this is true, that's not the point I was trying to make. It's not
enough to take into consideration the tangible factors (cost,
maintenance, interoperability). You have to take into consideration
social aspects as well. How well does the new technology fit in to the
corporate culture? How many people (and who) are likely to push back,
and how hard? And conversely, are there any evangelists onboard who
will make the extra effort to show others how to leverage the new
solution in non-obvious ways?
>
> >
> > Issues such as cost, freedom and ease of installation tend to fall
> > relatively low on the priority list.
>
> Surely that depends on size. The software costs for an office with 100 pc
> seats is paying a very large sum for MS software, even allowing for bulk
> purchase discounts.. My last employer had 20,000 employees, each with a pc
> running Windows. They could have cobbled up their own version of debian on 1
> cd for each of their 200 or so offices for peanuts.
Alot depends on what percentage of the budget is invested in computers
and software. A cost savings of 40% on some thing that represents 5% of
the total budget will not represent all that strong of an argument.
And, of course, cost is only a consideration once you've determined that
the solution meets your business needs.
Ian
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