I'm of two minds on this. But both say that Linux is NOT a hobby system. First, Linux is more than capable and professional enough to fill any server role. Period. Anyone building a server has to go through similar issues getting a Windows server or a Linux server running properly - the server needs to be configured for your specific needs, regardless of OS.
Second, For the desktop, I don't think Linux is "quite" there yet. It's damn close, and is suitable to anyone who can figure out the "non-windows" method of doing things. And that's where the rub is. There are TOOO many people trained (either through formal courses, or just average use) in windows. The Linux community has done a great job of adopting some aspects of windows that make sense, but evolving others that don't make sense in Windows. The Windows users find this to be foriegn to their way of thinking. The next big stumbling block for Linux on the desktop is installation. Anyone can install Windows by blindly click "OK", and letting the installer figure out your hardware. Linux has made huge strides in this area as well, but there is still a perception that Linux is difficult to install. I have my non-technical roommate setup on linux, (Suse 8.2), and he doesn't doesn't have any problems doing what he needs. But then again, he pretty much only uses the web. His girlfriend acutally opened OpenOffice and created a spreadsheet without any input from me (her first foray into Linux/OpenOffice). She lost the file when she saved it, but only because she didn't track where the file was getting saved to - we found it, and she used KMail to send it out. I only had to help with finding the file. I only mention these instances because I think this speaks volumes about how "hard" it is to learn linux for the desktop - not very hard at all. My thoughts. Shawn -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Andrew Graupe Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 3:40 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [clug-talk] Is Linux a Hobby System? Your thoughts All CLUG members: while trying to promote linux at school and around the community (an uphill battle, trust me), I have encountered several people who say that Linux is a "hobby" OS. Sadly, the other problem is they are to logic what Osama bin Laden is to pacifism. What are your thoughts on this issue? Is Linux (through a distro such as Fedora/Debian/Red Hat) easy enough to use for the average user? Is Linux a hobby system? Also, what is the best way to convince others (even some power-users) that Linux is more than just a hobby system. Just doing my part to help OSS. Andrew _______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca _______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca
