TAG | How Windows Vista is turning people to Linux |
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| by David M Williams | |
| Thursday, 28 August 2008 | |
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Page 3 of 3 Linux is an operating system in its own right. On the one hand, it needs no reference to Microsoft Windows whatsoever: it drives a computer from boot to shutdown and does everything in the middle that an operating system ought.The Linux option is being seriously considered by home users to large enterprises alike. Last year, the French Parliament – the National Assembly – switched 1,154 desktops to Ubuntu. An increasing number of hardware vendors are choosing to provide Linux based offerings. Just this month IBM announced that, for the first time, they will deliver Microsoft-free computer platforms. This is significant news. After all, Microsoft really has IBM to thank for their runaway success. It wasn’t because MS-DOS was so terrific that Bill Gates got rich; no, it was thanks to the clone market wanting to emulate IBM PCs. The preponderance of IBM PCs and clones all shipped with an MS-DOS license; every PC sale was money in Microsoft’s bank. Had Gary Kildall not gone flying we may instead be talking now about Digital Research’s CP/M. While the idea of a major computer supplier providing a Linux offering is not unique – after all, Dell has been doing it for a couple of years – the magnitude IBM is planning far exceeds that of any others. IBM is architecting an entire suite of Linux-based systems which they dub “solutions” and which will be tailored to specific industries and sectors. There will be a range for governments, one for banks, one for schools and so on. IBM aren’t merely adding an entry to their catalogue and hoping someone will notice; instead they are actively proposing to redefine the platforms used by major organisations in multi-million dollar deals. IBM assert the combined power of their Eclipse and Lotus packages, offered in a stable and secure Linux environment, comes in at less than half the cost of the equivalent Microsoft offering. This is pretty influential: when you’re talking about millions and millions of dollars the fact you can either halve your bill or double your infrastructure is highly compelling. What’s more, with the backing of an organisation like IBM the oft-touted argument against Linux that support is not readily available is collapsing. Why did IBM go this route? The answer is simple: they observed that there was a slow adoption of Vista among businesses. At the same time they observed the proven success of new types of Microsoft-free PCs around the world – yes, the very same ASUS Eee Linux PC and its ilk. If Microsoft are losing market share and finding their traditional partners are abandoning them they only have to look internally for the answer: Windows Vista is a dog. And we're not talking about a friendly dog like a labrador, or a heroic dog like the stereotypical fire station dalmation or even a dog that melts the heart of women like a pug. No, we're talking about a sick gangly dog that roams the street at night, knocks over garbage bins, poops where it pleases, foams at the mouth and generally ought to be put down. It's the kind of dog that is actively driving people to see alternatives. It’s no wonder that like Pia Waugh many dub Windows Vista as “the best thing that ever happened to Linux.”
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