On Friday 02 August 2002 02:33 am, Heimo Claasen wrote: > As I threatened already to take up this thread... here comes a first > one, which touches two salient points: viability of non-M$ OSs and > applications, and free alternatives to M$ apps in the "business" > environment. > > [...] > --------------------quote:-------------- > [...], however the answer to the problem of > ever escalating application software overheads is not as simple as > tossing Windows in the trash and installing Linux or a Mac. Both > these platforms suffer from a lack of suitable business applications
A valid comment re: Linux (IMO). I'm following (and trying) the OpenOffice suite, and it IS a nice package. Sun certainly seems committed to supporting it. However, there certainly isn't the full range available for Linux, at least not today. It seems to me that the viability of Linux for any given situation really depends on specific applications required. > [...], and Linux is still far too 'geeky' for the > average desktop user (one day RedHat and Gnome will realise that the > 'foot' and other paraphernalia are not welcomed by the average > business user who prefers quality business-looking graphics on a > computer desktop) I've seen some pretty hideous X desktops, and not everyone has perfect vision. Anyone building a Linux (or other) distribution for business should keep away from the clutter and reliance on cramming too much onto the desktop. SIMPLICITY is an advantage for business. > ... plus the cost of retraining desktop users to > Linux is still far higher than the cost of purchasing additional > Windows licenses, IF a company standardizes on a Linux distribution and takes a "business" approach to deployment, much of the complexity can be hidden. Speaking from having done training and managed training operations for 8 years or so, I'd want to see the details behind those numbers though. Most "Windows training" is on a specific app, and OS training is usually only an intro to the VERY MINIMAL needed to use a system. But yes, the point about the training costs associated with ANY conversion away from an existing set of tools is costly (and often overlooked). > especially considering that nowadays computer > bundling packages usually provide the Windows OS for free... Ow. Not "free", you just can't take it out! The article is great, and I've always enjoyed shareware/freeware. It sounds like they've found some great tools. However, I'm wondering if just buying new apps will truly suffice for meeting what the author describes. If you're still dependent on Windows as the underlying OS, you'll be under pressure from Microsoft to update. BUSINESS PLANNERS need to take into account that their OS will quickly move into "unsupported" status if they don't update -- and thus get entangled in the licensing problems they're hoping to avoid. (These business factors are probably OT for this list -- sorry.) The wealth of alternative apps is a real boon for home users (and thus this list) in any case. Heimo, are you going to get Don's list? - Bob To unsubscribe from SURVPC send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe SURVPC in the body of the message. Also, trim this footer from any quoted replies. More info can be found at; http://www.softcon.com/archives/SURVPC.html
