Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Fri 1st Oct 2004 00:16 UTC
A senior IT executive at a major pharmaceutical company summed up the challenge for Linux at the ZDNet UK IT Priorities conference when he asked one simple question: what are the benefits in migrating from Microsoft to Linux at the desktop?
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"The open-source methodology produces better code as more are people looking at the code," said Jollans.
Take Opera vs Firefox for instance .. which one is more well written?
Well, just because MS writes shitty code doesn't prove this guy's point
He conceded that some customers might be better off with Linux, but said that customers should make a case by case evaluation based on their own requirements.
This is a great point. Find out what you need to do, look at the kind of applications that each OS provides, and then make your choice depending on the applications, not the OS. I've seen a lot of companies playing politics and saying 'we have to use this application or this technology', when it really wasn't the best option for them.
"Sometimes Windows costs more than Linux, sometimes it's the other way around. Customers need to look at their operating environment," said McGrath.
This is also a good point. If you've got a $500 professional app and also a free app that does everything you need, then use the free app. However, if the free app is "Joe's Open Source App" that's currently in alpha v0.2 and contains more bugs than a roach motel, you need to consider your options carefully. I'm sorry, but open source doesn't always mean better.
"Our customers don't want employees to play Solitaire all day. Novell has invested heavily in kiosk technology where the desktop functionality is cut down, so that it only includes applications which companies want their employees to use," said Schlaeger.
Obviously, some people have never heard of nLite.
Microsoft's McGrath denied that Linux has any advantage over Windows in this area and said that since Windows 98, customers have had the ability to reduce functionality in the desktop using profiles and policies.
Also true. The IT department where I work has Win2k locked down so tight, I can't even view the damn calendar when I double click on the taskbbar (highly annoying).
"Who guarantees that you can access your information from a proprietary file format five years down the road? Open standards relieve you of that pain. I use an open-standard file format so that I can keep the keys to my information," said Schlaeger.
Not only is this a flawed argument (if you're using Joe's Open Source app and he gets bored developing it and quits in a few months, what are you supposed to do with your data), it's really not a case for Linux, so open file formats DO exist for other opearing systems as well.