[plug] Linux viability on the desktop (was: Article: Klez and OpenOffice should both spur Linux use)

[craig at postnewspapers.com.au]

> > It's not an unrealistic opinion. Most people are comfortable with what
> > they have, "it's a part of running a business" is the usual reply.
> 
> Don't take what I'm saying to mean that I wouldn't like to have a Linux
> solution on the desktop, I reckon it'd be great :).  The amount of free
> support around the place from people who have a clue would be good as well
> :).
I'm _horribly_ uncomfortable with what I have (Eudora5.1+Word2000 on
win98) but with the levels of computer literacy around here, testing an
alternative even in parallel would not work. More to the point, show me
a P100 running OpenOffice!

Perhaps once OpenOffice is a bit more mature I'll be able to think about
migrating the journalists. I've been considering doing the advertising
people here for some time, they're mostly telnet users - but they know
what they have, and it works, and its already paid for. So I'm unwilling
to change it.

I'm of the opinion that the primary barriers to linux adoption in office
desktops are (1) immature office software (2) klunky printing (3) user
unwillingness to learn (4) "what we have works" + interop issues.

1) Is improving. OO is getting good (I use it now) but there are issues
with a lot of the advanced functions and performance is nothing short of
ghastly. 
2) has improved massively but is very inconsitent. CUPS still won't read
my Xerox 4025 .ppd for example.
3) is a nightmare. In the end, if the alternative is good enough,
they'll live. But I'll have to hold their hands for 3months +. Get
training? What, are you joking! they're not interested, wouldn't learn
if it'd save their lives, and don't have even the basic understanding
needed to benefit from most courses.
4) is a real problem. I can't justify to the boss "lets throw out 10
word2k licences and 10 win98 licences and move to this thing". But if we
add a workstation we'll have to buy more licences because an "odd one
out" wkstn is not a good thing. A changeover in the office can only
really happen at the point where an upgrade will be happening anyway,
its just a matter of what.

My opinion only, of course, but these are some of the reasons I haven't
moved any of the users over yet despite the (large) advantages of win32
virus immunity, internal security, un-user-breakability, and general
stability.

> But there isn't a Linux solution for every area that I would have to cover
> here at work currently.  And I'm not going back to having different
> platforms as I've only just gotten it to a standardized state :P
Show me Quark and Photoshop for Linux then I'll move our DP people over
in an instant (we use macos9. Enough said. *cries into hands*).
The GIMP is sorely lacking in a few key areas (CMYK JPEG, separations,
etc) and there is no DP software worth note at this point for Linux.

-- 
Craig Ringer                                       IT Manager, POST Newspapers
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/           
GPG Key Fingerprint:        AF1C ABFE 7E64 E9C8 FC27  C16E D3CE CDC0 0E93 380D
I don't think for my employer. Unless stated otherwise, my mail is my opinion.
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