On Sat, 2003-08-16 at 11:34, Collins Richey wrote:
<big multi-echo snip>
> So, how does one get the message out to these companies that they need
> to free themselves from reliance on defunct systems? Their day to day
> operations will always be comprimised by the inherent weakness of the M$
> environment (when is the next worm due out?), and perhaps even their
> precious data can be lost.
<snip>
I see this all the time. Unfortunately, there is a growing breed of IT
person out there who thinks Microsoft *is* the computing environment and
anything else is unnatural and not to be considered. They see see Unix
(and any other *nix) as being old fashioned and impractical ("it's too
difficult"). They have grown up there whole (short) life in an MS
environment and they really don't know anything else. In short many of
the IT managers we have now are not really IT managers in the true sense
of the word, they are MS system managers. And it's going to get worse,
MS has been running a concerted campaign to lock school boards and
educational agencies into exclusive MS-only agreements in return for
discounted (or free) software for their classrooms at the primary and
high school level. <Oooops, I guess that anti-trust bunch all retired
after Dubyah took office?>
It depends on what the Linux community wants. There has been a lot of
evangelical push to move Linux adoption higher up the IT food chain.
Since attempting to go "enterprise" Linux has had to overcome the
tie-dyed, pony-tailed, birkenstock, fringe geek stereotype. Don't get me
wrong there are a lot of great folks out there who either naturally, or
intentionally, maintain the Linux uber-geek look (many of them are my
friends). But if you are going into a boardroom of a Fortune 500 company
to pitch a business solution that will satisfy their due diligence
requirements, save them money, and protect their assess, then you have
to look credible in their eyes. It's just a fact of life. IBM has helped
change this image.
BTW, these are the same folks who can't help but notice all of MS's FUD.
When hundreds of millions of $ are involved, you listen to anyone who
has criticisms. It's no coincidence that that's where a large part of
Bill's FUD is primarily aimed.
--
burns
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