Posted on 09/12/2005 2:12:45 PM PDT by Panerai
The cost of migrating from Windows XP to Windows Vista will encourage more companies to seriously consider moving to desktop Linux, the chief executive of open-source and networking company Novell said on Monday.
Speaking at Brainshare, the company's annual European user conference in Barcelona, Novell CEO Jack Messman claimed that the cost of moving desktops to the next version of Windows will be significantly higher than migrating to desktop Linux.
"The cost of migrating to Windows XP to Vista will be higher than the cost of migrating to Linux and that will push migrations to Linux," Messman said.
Novell says it is making real gains on the desktop in Europe currently and that many organizations are choosing its Linux Desktop product especially in vertical industries that require locked-down clients with limited functionality.
"Instead of a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, Novell Desktop can be customized to provide the right fit across different workstations in the enterprise," said David Patrick, general manager of open-source platforms for Novell. "So businesses finally have a secure and cost-effective alternative to Windows that serves the customer's return on investment rather than a vendor's proprietary licensing program."
Messman added that moving to desktop Linux has functionality benefits as well as cost benefits. He claimed that the fact that Novell's desktop Linux offering has less functionality than Microsoft Office is actually a positive rather than a negative thing.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.com ...
In before Rusty Turkey & Gore2000!
Yeah, um, right. I'll be sure and hold my breath on that one.
...not if you include the cost of replacing ALL your software, converting all your data, learning the new system, etc. etc. etc...
I liked this one too.
"He claimed that the fact that Novell's desktop Linux offering has less functionality than Microsoft Office is actually a positive rather than a negative thing"
Yes, more is less.
When the "less" is fewer security vulnerabilities, it IS more.
Didn't know Novell was still in business. </sarcasm>
I like Linux, but I seriously doubt this.
There are many PC's out there that don't do anything but emulate dumb terminals and run solitare.
But they won't be upgrading anyhow (unless managed by morons).
"Yes, more is less"
Clearly dumping IE would be a positive...
yes, it is. Most offices have people on computers doing relatively few things. Bit the very nature of windows usually means that people like to add their own crap to the mix, like screensavers, themes, extra programs, etc. All that just adds more headaches.
Truest me, I've worked in large offices where most of the computer problems were related to people trying to install their own software they brought in or downloaded.
Linux on desktops makes sense for medium to large businesses where the users don't need windows specific apps. If they can get by with email, web access - maybe for web based apps, some simple word processing - all of that can be done with linux, for less cost. Plus the fact that people dont' feel as comfortable with linux and don't know how to download and install useless crap is another bonus.
Vista's DRM architecture will probably drive more people to Linux than any other reason.
Once people find out that the O/S capabilities for multimedia has been crippled to make Hollywood execs happy that may turn a few heads.
"Clearly dumping IE would be a positive..."
No arguement here. I have nothing at all against Linux but in a real world scenario, cross-platform migrations, especially at the user level, are a nightmare. Hardly the inexpensive cake-walk this guy makes it out to be.
Maybe for a home user, that may be a tough sell for enterprise users.
By the looks of it, and I'm not going to start another distro war, but the new versions of most of the distros (i.e. Debian, Slack, SUSE, etc.) seem to be one step ahead of M$.
The only reasons why I think Linux will be stunted are:
I'm not even taking into account the M$ Cheerleading efforts on FR Linux threads by the usual trolls. They'll be here soon, if not already.
I think it really depends on the office and uses that the office drones are putting the machines to.
If you have to upgrade your typical drone desktop just because of Vista, then switching to Linux may make more sense--depending on the apps being used.
As usual, the answer is typical--"It Depends."
"Truest me, I've worked in large offices where most of the computer problems were related to people trying to install their own software they brought in or downloaded."
Been there, done that, and washed my hands of it. I work as an admin for a company that has over 12,000 users. Most stations are locked down tighter than bark on a tree. If workstations are being used as thin clients, there is no real benefit to using Linux, as most all apps are accessed through terminal services.
I don't doubt there are scenarios where Linux would be the better choice but we are talking large-scale migrations and cost-effectiveness here.
I've a whole boatload of data (hundreds of GBytes) on NTFS disks, from Win2K and WinXP machines.
Novell, trying to do to Linux what they did to Word Perfect. Does anyone other than some Ca. state offices use Netware anymore?
should work just fine once you enter the password it will ask for.
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