On Fri, 08 Nov 2002 08:34, Matthew Carr wrote:
> Well, from the perspective of one of the IT desktop support people at
> Canterbury there are prolly a few random comments I should make.
>
> <rant>
[ ... all good stuff ... ]
> I have been spending the last few weeks as a noob *trying* to work on a
> Linux workstation POC to try an proove that it can work within the
> current system (i.e. Msoft PDCs, Msoft print queues, Msoft file servers,
> Msfot Exchange servers etc etc).
With all due respect to the decision makers, would it not be a much better
idea to do a POC to see how feasable it might be to replace the servers first
so that the new Linux/Unix desktop boxes have the necessary environment
available they need when they are installed?
> I know most of you will be going "so
> what's so hard about all that?", but after wrestling with RedHat trying
> to do the simplest things
I expect that we would all be very interested to hear what "the simplest
things" are?
I'd agree that RedHat is not necessarily the best Linux dist. for use on a
desktop. I don't want to start a distro flamefest so I'll stop there.
> I can see the problems with the university
> suddenly going 'Lets use linux!'. Every single support staff would
> either need to be re-trained (15+ years of msfot experience down the
> tubes replaced by a few months of Linux training???) or replaced.
> The sheer collosal cost in man hours it would take to reconstruct all of
> the Msoft aspects of the network (standard installs for staff and
> students, upgrading and updating thousands of desktops - lets not forget
> all the huge range in hardware etc etc) would be staggering - even over
> a period of many years.
Fairly obviously one does not go at it bull-at-the-gate, but as machines come
up for replacement, or the user requests a change.
> And the biggie is the fact that a number of the
> 300 odd people I support can barely use a mouse ("what's a keyboard?"
> being the best line I have heard to date on phone support). Try telling
> them to recompile their kernel. Go on... Linux just isn't *there* yet as
> a desktop solution for all users.
There is absolutely _NO_ need whatsoever for a user to even nightmare about
having to re-compile a linux kernel. If (s)he suddenly needs to interface
some weird peripheral, then maybe, but under normal daily use in a university
office, safely hidden behind a pretty effective series of routers and
firewalls, never.
> That said however, even if I can start getting a few linux boxes
> installed here or there working well on our network with interest
> kindled with interested people in the right places at least a start can
> be made (hence pushing for a training session - thanks Mike - and yes,
> we *do* have Pmagic, just not a site licence :o). All of you should feel
> free to come and make you case to IT and volunteer some support and
> training (go on Zane, you know you want to :o)
Show off the beauty of the typesetting produced by TeX and its GUI frontend,
LyX.
> Oh yes, the first lesson I learnt working here: University Departments
> Fear Change
>
> Urr, where was I?
Probably wondering why "Critical Thought" (tm) swallows FUD as if it were
caviare.
> *shrug*
>
> </rant>
>
> Matthew
>
> P.S. Does anyone know a 'nice' way of stopping and re-starting X?
Log out to the display manager, and restart there either with a CTRL-ALT-BS or
the menu entry. I don't now if you think that that is "nice" or not, but it
is safe.
> P.P.S. OS Selector looks damn good...
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "stacy stacy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2002 9:15 PM
> Subject: Re: Partitioning
>
> > i agree...
> > so many people refuse to spend money on linux, why i don't know.
> > if you got IT professionals it's not really a problem-
> >
> > http://www.acronis.com/products/osselector/
> >
> > test it out download the trial, pitch it to the dept?
> > hope it helps...
> >
> > --- Volker Kuhlmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > >> o The University does not have Partition Magic.
> > >
> > >Ok, let's all have a loud lough together.
> > >
> > >Seriously, tell them that considering the mega-cash they
> > >waste^H^H^H^H^Hspend on billyware each year, you'd think the dept as
>
> a
>
> > >whole would be able to shell out for one (as in *1*) copy of
>
> partition
>
> > >magic. Run it on each box in turn.
> > >
> > ><sarky>
> > >Considering we're talking the IT(!) Dept here, it would appear to be
> > >obvious that they can back up a windows install onto somewhere, use
> > >fdisk, and ghost it back, otherwise one might think they're overpaid
> > >even at the rates uni is reportedly paying.
> > ></sarky>
Resizing partitions in place without backing up the data in the partition
first is just idiotic, so the above is very little more work than playing
with PM.
--
Sincerely etc.,
Christopher Sawtell
