Entrepreneur magazine :: Powering Up By Mike Hogan
...Gartner gives a thumbs up to Linux desktops for "structured task workers," but not knowledge workers.
The former are employees who use a few applications and perform a limited number of computing tasks repeatedly. The latter are managers, designers, analysts and such, who run diverse combinations of applications. The more homegrown applications, macro-bedecked spreadsheets and highly formatted document templates your company uses, the more it will cost to port those tools-probably created in Windows-to Linux. You'll have to rewrite them and retrain users. Ka-ching!
But smaller enterprises or anyone sticking to standard, off-the-shelf software can avoid those costs. Linux suites such as Sun Microsystem's StarOffice and OpenOffice.org are very compatible with popular Windows applications, notes Silver. Also noteworthy: About three-quarters of employees fit Gartner's structured task worker definition.
You'll want to run the numbers for your own workplace, but Gartner's findings don't rule out Linux desktops like BusinessStation.
...Like Gartner, I found that document, desktop publishing, photo and graphics files-even multidimensional Excel spreadsheets-transferred back and forth between Windows and Lindows applications with only the most trivial of tweaks. Worst case: You'll lose some favorite font, math function or right-click mouse convention. But I don't see why switching to Linux would cause any more help desk calls than a new version of anything else.
The Wintergreen desktop worked OK, but slowly. It's not the processor or the memory; it's the idea of running OS and apps off a CD. Yes, you can, but the time wasted will quickly add up to the price of a new Dell.
The chassis is a standard minitower in every way except that it lacks a hard drive. That helps achieve a "locked" client, secure from unauthorized changes. But then, there's the speed thing-and you'd be amazed at how difficult it is to get Ethernet and USB peripherals configured without a hard drive.
Yeah, what do I expect for $169? Here's what I got - a noisy, re-purposed consumer PC that's not powerful enough for a knowledge worker and without the features usually found on thin clients. Is tech support any help? I don't know, because I've never gotten past Wintergreen's answering machine.
Lindows.com touts the systems as though it has something to do with them, when in fact, it's a couple of levels removed. It asks for $59 per year for software support, which seems eminently fair. But it's not exactly like buying from Dell or IBM, is it?
Bottom line: Linux is ready for some desktops. Just make sure the desktops you buy are ready for Linux...
K-Collector