I know we're all just jumping in on the con side to help flesh out information
but I'd like to refute some of these statements.
Bruce Dawson wrote:
> I believe most PHB's would consider the following disadvantagous:
>
> 1. It doesn't run MS Windows software (but it sorta does; and some
> consider not running MS Windows software an advantage).
True, and this is a disadvantage in some instances. In many others where a
specialized or browser based desktop is desired it doesn't matter as much. For
example, Burlington Coat Factory deployed cash registers and backends. Windows
compatibility becomes largely irrelevant. On the server side, Windows
application serving is still a weak spot but most other (file/print,
infrastructure, web, etc) Linux is an excellent choice.
> 2. It was internationally developed (only the NSA and american-centrists are
> concerned about this).
I've never had anyone care about his one way or the other.
> 3. There are a lot of releases in a year.
True, but there is no forced upgrade cycle. When M$ went from NT to W2K they
pretty well forced the market to follow and certainly their "certified" field
people. This just isn't true with Linux. Also, define "releases" per year.
Point releases on the kernel? Linux progress, in general, is evolutionary and
most can choose to follow or not follow as they choose and at their own pace
(unless some tremendously compelling feature is added).
> 4. Support is nebulous and inconsistent. (This just depends on how often and
> how much you pay the support organization).
We at IBM offer the same level of support for Linux as we do for
Win\95\98\ME\NT\2K, AIX or OS/390. True you pay for it but you generally pay
for support in any large shop anyway. If you buy equipment preloaded with Linux
again you get the same support as if it were loaded with another OS.
> 5. It is not widely adopted by the corporate culture. There's no easy way of
> telling how widely Linux is deployed.
On the contrary, I have detailed statistics on deployment, from IDC. The
problem is they're almost always too conservative. Two years ago only something
like 2-4% were even considering Linux over the next two years later. Two years
after that something like 25-30% are already using it with far over half
planning to deploy within the next year. (DON'T Quote these numbers, I'm
shooting from memory because I'm far too lazy to pull up my foils.)
> But the biggest 2 problems, by far, are:
>
> 1. I don't have anyone to help me learn it (or: I don't have time to learn
> a new OS).
I agree the learning curve is problematic, particularly if coming from a Windows
background. However, colleges have been using *nix for years and almost any
Computer Science student knows *nix. Moving to Linux from there is a nit.
> 2. It means reloading my OS and learning something new.
Now, I for one think that "reloading my OS and learning something new" is a
pleasure. Heck, if you're running Windows you should be good at reloading the
OS ;-)
> Note: The last two are not PHB complaints, but general PC user complaints.
> [And if you add "I can't afford the hardware", the above complaints are the
> most frequently issued by Mac users facing a move to Windows.]
>
> Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
> > People,
> > I have another chance to advocate Linux.
> > They asked for a "one page list of pros & cons for Linux".
> > The only con I may put in is:
> > "Many managers are still not comfortable with Linux".
> > OK, I should add: "Some applications still not on Linux desktops".
> > What other comments would you all suggest?
>
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