RE: The sky is falling


Subject: RE: The sky is falling
From: Jim Gribbin (jgribbin@alaska.net)
Date: Wed Nov 05 2003 - 08:19:28 AKST


I don't agree that Linux isn't ready for the desktop. I think that it's =
at
least as adequate as Windows. It's that Linux hasn't managed to break
through the MS wall(?), not sure if that's the right term.

Computers weren't widely adopted by the masses until they could buy it =
off
the shelf with a usable OS pre-installed. To this day, when they want to
upgrade the OS, they buy a new computer. They may buy an OS upgrade and =
muck
around with it a while, but that computer soon gets relegated to the =
kids,
donated, or stuck in storage, while they go out and buy a new one =
that=92s
already setup.

Corporations don't, for the most part develop their specialty software =
for
the Linux OS because not enough of their users use Linux to make it
financially feasible. The users steer clear because the 'in-house' =
software
they need doesn't work on Linux. Or won't unless some computer-geek sets =
it
up under wine for them.

So examples:
  I need access to the MLS Database. It requires use of client software
developed by the database designer as it is a proprietary database.
  1st National Bank (and others) requires use of MS Internet Explorer to
access their on-line banking on commercial accounts. The last time I =
tried
it, telling Opera to lie wouldn't cut it.
  The only accounting software I'm aware that can access your bank =
account
is Windows based.

These are some of the walls I've personally run into.

Jim Gribbin

-----Original Message-----
From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org] On Behalf =
Of
James Zuelow
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 11:05 PM
To: aklug
Subject: Re: The sky is falling

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 19:14:33 -0900
"W.D. McKinney" <deem@wdm.com> wrote:

>=20
> James, it's just not as big in the U.S., but Europe, South America &
> Asia have a desktop market in Linux. Must be a lot of rain in =
southeast
> Alaska eh ? :-)
>=20
> Have fun!
>=20
> Dee
>=20
Clear & sunny for the past week or so. Maybe that's why I just don't =
see
the gloom and doom.

Let me reply to your post and Jim's post at the same time.

The U.S. doesn't really have a Linux desktop market. OK, that is =
definately
true. Europe, the rest of the Americas, and Asia. Hmm. Linux perhaps =
has
a larger desktop market there, but there isn't any big technology
difference. Linux isn't better in Argentina, it just speaks Spanish =
more
often. Basic things like cut and paste are still a problem. Install
xgalaga on a modern Linux system and you have a good chance that the =
sound
will not work. And I'd challenge anyone to find a country where the =
percent
of Linux desktop gets to double digits. Any company that is banking on
Linux on the desktop is banking on the future, not the present. And =
that is
exactly what RedHat said - "we can't make money on it now, because if =
you
buy our $80 box we'll spend more than $80 talking to you on the phone or
answering your e-mails. Give it a couple of years first. In the mean =
time,
we have share-holders." Now it's up to companies like Mandrake to make =
a go
of the commercial home de
 sktop ma

Now, if you very carefully put together a standard build - testing
applications, making sure everything works, and then clone the system =
you
can get a pretty good desktop. That's great for the corporate world. =
In
fact, companies like RedHat are pushing exactly that. Sun goes so far =
as to
say that Linux is good for the desktop, but not for the server - mainly
because they want to sell Solaris licenses, but there's your desktop.
Novell/SuSE will probably offer Netware 7 on a Linux foundation with all
Linux desktops. =20

Let the user get involved, and oh boy. Finding two identical Debian or
Gentoo installs that are owned by different people is probably =
impossible.
The maturity just isn't there for Linux desktops to reliably support all =
the
different things people get up to at home. I know that I break my =
desktops
all the time doing things I can easily do in Win98. For me, and for =
most of
the people on this list, that's part of the fun. For my wife, she just
wants to know why "Nautilus does not have a default application for this
file type" after she just TOLD it that .pdf files should be opened in =
xpdf.
And she told it correctly, right mime type and all. Pfah.

So IMHO RedHat is right. Don't try making money selling Linux desktops =
to
the masses. It's not ready. Keep it to a corporate structure where the =
IT
people can control the build and set up mime types beforehand.

Now. Financial support. Jim brings up the point where we're not
financially supporting companies like RedHat, and we should be. In my
office, I've got every rev of RedHat from 6.2 to 7.2. That's how long =
it
took me to figure out that it was more expensive to buy every boxed set =
of
RedHat than it would be to buy every new version of Windows as soon as =
it
came out. Add the $20 a month fee for up2date on top of that. I don't =
make
enough to keep RedHat solvent, especially when each boxed set got more
expensive. That's when I started getting into Debian in a big way. =
It's
non-profit, so I help in other ways. I donate to EFF and FSF. It's not
Linux, but you can find my name on the OpenBSD liner notes. I keep a =
small
web site up, which according to my logs has helped a few people put =
Linux on
old IBM hardware. Doesn't help IBM, and doesn't help RedHat, but it =
just
might help Linux.

But there are people in Alaska with enough money to help keep RedHat
solvent, and more importantly, Allan Cox gainfully employed. Those =
people
are the IT folks at the Municipality of Anchorage or the State of =
Alaska.
Maybe BP. And that's where RedHat sees it's future. Great! So send =
$25 to
the EFF, and a letter to your legislator (or the editor) asking how much
money the state sends to Microsoft every year in this time of 400 =
million
dollar shortfalls. Do that two or three times a year. =20

Don't worry about RedHat and their boxed sets - RedHat could collapse =
into a
big pile of dust and we'd still have Linux. Every commercial =
distributor in
the world could collapse and we'd still have linux. Maybe not as =
flashy,
maybe not on everyone's computer, and we might have to do with only one
Linux monthly magazine, but we'd still have it.

Cheers,

James
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