This tip originally appeared on SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, a sister site of SearchSMB.com.
Linux is already a major platform used in the business back-end where it provides transparent interoperability with Windows file and print servers. It is already the major platform for corporate Web serving. Clearly, it is a major business platform already, but not on the desktop. That is where the growth potential is. I believe that most administrators will be surprised to find that the application capabilities demanded by most users can be met by the Linux desktop right now.
In this update on the business Linux desktop, I'll outline the needs of enterprises and how Linux applications are or are not ready to fulfill them.
What's available right now?
In office automation, the use and adoption of the open source office suite, OpenOffice, is growing exponentially both on Windows and on Linux platforms. It is only a matter of time before OpenOffice will eclipse Microsoft Office.
In e-mail, Novell Evolution e-mail, collaboration and calendaring groupware and similar tools are just as powerful (if not more so) than Microsoft Outlook. Many who have switched to Evolution are just as much at home as they were in the Microsoft Windows equivalent. Most do not want to switch back.
In Web browsing, just look at the sudden flood of users from Microsoft Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox. Firefox can be used on Windows and Linux, so interoperability issues don't exist. The further adoption of Firefox will catalyze the move to the Linux desktop.
Moving on the printing, I can report that the KDE and GNOME desktop envir
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onments work seamlessly with CUPS printing. CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is a breeze to use; just plug a printer into the USB port and use it.No more loading of drivers and messing with driver updates so that Windows can use a printer. CUPS makes Microsoft Windows printing look impossibly difficult.
What's missing?
The major applications that have not yet won Microsoft Windows users to the great switch-over include:
So, where will the Linux desktop be by 2006? Actually, a lot depends on the consumer market. Hopefully, more consumers will demand an alternative to Microsoft Windows on the desktop from their favorite vendors. No-one can preemptively force consumer choice. Likewise, no-one can hold back consumer choice, and those who attempt to do so by any means will pay a high price for their vain efforts. The main thing that is missing for the majority of users is not applications, but rather the ability to purchase Linux pre-installed from the CompUSAs and BestBuys of the world, as well as to be able to obtain support from their favorite support source.
The one sticking point that can put a damper on consumer demand for Linux desktops is the lack of support for DVD video players under Linux. Oh, did anyone say that the DVD interface is tied up in intellectual property controls? Maybe it is time America told the entire entertainment industry that consumers have had enough of the nonsense! I've legally bought all my DVD videos, and now the companies I have bought them from are trying to tell me what platform I may use to view them. Bah! Enough is enough!
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