[plug] Linux Desktop Market

[Randal Adamson]

On Mon, 2005-10-24 at 14:59 +0800, Chris Watt wrote:
> So, does anyone think that a company could be founded on the ability
> to offer premium computers (so computers ready for the internet,
> office apps, etc.) could be sold to the public or do you think there
> are still factors hindering the adoption of this system, esp. by
> schools, seniors and first time users?

Some of my initial thoughts:

* I read that you are talking about Linux being pre-installed on a PC
when someone purchases it VS Windows pre-installed.

* The argument also encompasses the problem of deciding what Linux
distribution is the best (or at least a few of them).

* Linux and Windows can co-exist on the same machine via dual-boot and
VMWare (and others).

* Are we talking free Linux vs subscription based Linux also?

* Are we talking about *nix/*BSD? Don't forget Solaris is now also Open
Source, and freely available - and we also can't forget about
FreeBSD/OpenBSD - Apple certainly didn't ;).

* The argument also poises a problem in the sense that if Windows is the
accepted norm in the industry - why do we want to force the change?

* Your centric argument is also: Workstation/Desktop/PC (READ: NOT
SERVER)

----[ My 2 cents ]----

I firmly believe that Linux does have a place in the
professional/business community as a stable and productive alternative
to the Windows Operating System. I would only chose a distribution
(distro) that has extremely solid support and solid future growth. This
somewhat narrows the field of Linux Distro's down.

Red Hat and SuSe are probably the two major "business-grade" distro's
that offer support/patches and future development of their distro. SuSe
is now owned by Novell and Novell have released their own flavour
desktop called "Novell Linux Desktop" or "NLD". The idea behind this is
to make a stable desktop that is patched and supported by Novell through
your small license subscription (READ: Far cheaper than Microsoft). NLD
offers an "enterprise" class OS vs SuSe Professional which is "leading
edge" latest software release.

For business, customers need both a workstation and server solution that
integrates and works harmoniously. Windows offers this for the small
business but I feel lacks to offer a medium to large business solution.
I feel that Windows XP/XP64 and soon-to-be Vista offers a very
cost-effective solution to the Workstation/Desktop/PC market. You can
have a Windows desktop and a Linux server working harmoniously in the
workplace. However, I would STRONGLY recommend against a Windows-based
Server. Additionally, with the growing support of Open Office and Linux,
Novell Linux Desktop offers a very stable operating system for a
business at a far less cost to Windows.

Linux Servers are far more superior that Windows for many many reasons
(of which I really don't want to get into).

Bottom line: I'd only look at Novell. They have been Microsoft's largest
competitor for many many years. It is also worthy of note that Novell
have installations for the large enterprise - and this isn't because
they are the ones with the big budgets. It is because the solution is
far more superior to that of Microsoft at that scale.

Most Novell products now have been ported to Linux (SuSe).

Every business has the view to becoming big and growing to a scale that
makes them successful. My view would be to go with an operating system
and an IT solution that will follow you from the beginning right to the
top.

If you are interested in me talking more about Novell and it's suite of
Linux products - please do, and we'll start another thread.

Enjoy...

Ranz