The year of the Linux desktop!

Sam Varghese
Tuesday, 02 January 2007 04:08

Opinion and Analysis

All organisations that use Windows, generally use Word, a software package which has hundreds of functions, only 20 percent of which even the most advanced user utilises. Why would one need to upgrade to a newer version with even more functions which are not going to be used unless one is forced to?

People tend to talk of software migrations taking place due to security concerns. If any business was serious about security and feared a break-in due to the use of Windows, the switch to something like the Mac or GNU/Linux would have taken place years ago. Any additional security which is part of a new Windows O-S is something like a chimera.

One recent study claimed, "open source, especially Linux, is being legitimised by the major enterprise vendors, and user executives are more than happy to believe them." It is difficult to believe that such nonsense is taken seriously. Open source gained credibility a long time ago and anyone who isn't aware of that is just plain ignorant.

There are plenty of factors which inhibit a migration from the desktop, chief among them being a lack of properly trained administrators. Point-and-click monkeys are available by the dozen but an admins with hands-on experience, hackers in the true sense of the word, are few and far between. Hence, any advice from such admins will revolve around the easiest option - which is to follow the old saying "no-one ever got fired for buying IBM" with a small twist - now IBM is replaced by Microsoft.

The year of the Linux desktop? Rubbish. By the end of the year, there would have been enough arm-twisting by the people in Redmond and the upgrades will begin. You can count on it.