Linux is expected to make steady gains over the next few years on the desktop PCs of small businesses, according to a new report. The report, released Monday by The Yankee Group, says Linux has minimal presence among business with 500 employees or fewer, with not even 1 percent of such companies currently using Linux on desktop PCs. That will change, however, as companies replace aging equipment running outdated software.
Desktop Linux thinks small
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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It’s just a matter of time. I don’t think most free software projects or even users really care if the majority of the PC world comes their way. Only the businesses that are promoting Linux seem to care really. More PC users = more money. The article already discusses the reason businesses don’t want to switch.. it’s the same reason they don’t want to upgrade.
I don’t really care for comparisons of Linux and Windows. The masses will eventually switch over given time, feature, and business support. The truth is you’ve been able to accomplish most work that has needed to be done using computers as a tool for the past 40 years. Just with each additional decade the requirements for getting work done have artificially increased. I do not get, outside of business promotion, why Linux must be anymore ready for others to use it. It’s just another tool.. use it or don’t. Use a hitachi vcr or a sony dvd.. or don’t. Use a HP or TI calculator.. so on.
I use Linux fulltime for software research and development, typesetting, graphics, website development, printing.. I’m not burdened by the fact the next guy uses Windows, MacOS, or is still on an Amiga. I guess I just find articles like these rather useless and shortsighted. One of those articles that happen time from time when nothing else new has happened (aka filler).
A lot of this so-called “aging hardware” is Pentium III boxen. There’s this feeling among business folk that a PIII is just too slow and that they need to upgrade. I see it all the time where I work.
If you can install GNU/Linux with Gnome on one of these machines, and show them:
– a word processor (Abiword),
– a browser (Firefox/Galeon),
– a pdf viewer,
– a spreadsheet (gnumeric?),
– presentation software (a la PowerPoint),
– and an email client along with some sort collaboration software (something like Novell’s GroupWise)
all running quite briskly on a PIII with 256 MB, I think you’ll have them PHB’s sold. Optimization of Gnome/glib/gtk/etc. may be the key (though I don’t pretend to know how well optimized the Gnome components already are).
Not even using GNOME but a simple window manager. Then you would have great performance down to even a P2 and good performance down to a P1. Great thing about Linux is that you don’t have to be running a ‘desktop’ (be it in the shape of Explorer, GNOME, or KDE) to use most of the applications or capabilities. You can do everything from a terminal or console even.
Ironically, this capability for not forcing a large desktop interface (or any specific interface) onto users may be what gets all of the old users of desktops to come over to Linux when their hardware can no longer support the features of a “modern desktop” GUI. Not that I will ever think desktop guis are modern.. but some people do unfortunately.
An accident left me with just my old PII (333Mhz)with 128M ram and a 20GB HD. Though I loved the idea of Linux,
I was lazy and been using windows on my P4 before it died.
I tried using the recommended win98se for my PII and
it was abysmall..buggy drivers, IE crashes, and rather than spending the time to hunt down driver upgrades.. I decided to learn Linux..
Slackware 10 runs quite well thank you , though doing
a CD rip while listening to mp3s is out of the question.
Also CD sound playback is muted(yes the alsaconfig is unmuted and mp3s play fine) – a problem I am still
looking to solve..All in all I would give my experience
a “B” with linux ..it will only get better..
“Linux has minimal presence among business with 500 employees or fewer, with not even 1 percent of such companies currently using Linux on desktop PCs”
As a CPA who works with many companies this size (hundreds of clients with our firm), I find that Linux use is probably closer to 10%, and at least 25% that have a mix of windows/linux to a smaller degree. And when it comes to servers, it might even be 50% that have linux servers.
I really can’t understand the 1% estimate, they’re either totally clueless or just a FUD machine for microsoft. One thing that is a bit amusing, many people refer to linux as “windows” or “linux windows.” Maybe the survey questions are worded poorly.
Since you’re posting anonymously, how about posting the names of these companies that use Linux instead of just throwing out numbers like 10%, 25% and 50%. You can call it FUD, but you haven’t proved anything. Plus, you’re firm may have hundreds of clients with less than 500 employees, but I’m sure that accounts for what, less than 10% of the businesses in the U.S. with less than 500 employees, so even if you are correct with 10% for your customer base, in the overall picture that can amount to less than 1% of the grand total; so it’s hard to say if 1% is off base or not.
Search for “Yankee Group SCO” on Google for other fine, accurate analysis done by this wonderful ‘group’.