Yesterday, [EMAIL PROTECTED] gleaned this insight:
> People,
> The main questions that come up with regard to Linux are:
> 1) Can I sign a contract with somebody, & get the same
> support I get for other systems?
<plug type=shameless>
Yes! Mission Critical Linux provides this type of support service, as
well as a whole lot of other kinds of stuff. See our webpage at
http://www.missioncriticallinux.com
I'm sure CCB will point out that VA LiNUX also offers professional
services, as do a host of other organizations.
</plug>
> 2) Are there any applications that run under Linux?
Tons. If we're looking for places where we can find them, I could re-post
a message I recently posted on BLU. There are a number of software
indexes that list Linux applications, and of course any web search will
turn up gobs of info.
I think the real question that people are asking is " Are there any
*COMMERCIAL* applications for Linux?" The answer to that one is a little
less favorable for those who are looking for assurances, unfortunately.
> 3) Who knows this system, & where can I learn about it?
Well, there's too much stuff out there to answer this one. There's a lot
of places where you can get good linux info.
I think that we, as Linux enthusiasts (which I'm inferring on account of
the fact that we're all subscribe to this list), can be more proactive in
making Linux more accessible by providing web sites like the one GNHLUG
has, where one can find all sorts of links to information about Linux. It
also helps to publicize events that we hold, to attract more people who
might be interested in checking out linux, such as has been done with LBS
etc.
It might also be nice to publicize our regular meetings, to make people
aware that there really is a community behind linux, and that they are not
alone if they decide to take the plunge. There is help available!
> Does anybody else have any common questions, thoughts, ...?
> Even if you are not sales, or marketing, what questions,
> and doubts, do people express about Linux?
One question I have is what can we do to get commercial software and
hardware companies to provide more ports and support for their products on
Linux? Many people still point to this as a weakness of Linux, and though
progress is made, they still have a point.
While many of this may not necessarily hold a lot of value in it, most
people want to be able to buy a CD with some software on it and click the
mouse a couple of times, and have their new software or hardware up and
running. We still don't have this. Hardware support has improved a lot,
especially for graphics boards, but there's still a lot of stuff that just
doesn't work. Like DVD <grumble grumble grumble>.
You'll often hear me say that there is no NEED to run windows, which I
wholeheartedly believe, but I reluctantly have to admit that there are
still a number of reasons why someone might WANT to run windows, namely to
fill in the holes that are left in the hardware and software support.
My only other question is when the hell is someone gonna fix NIS so that
it doesn't SUCK?
--
PGP/GPG Public key at http://cerberus.ne.mediaone.net/~derek/pubkey.txt
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Derek D. Martin | Unix/Linux Geek
[EMAIL PROTECTED] | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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