Several years ago, I was a CIO of a county government. I replaced ALL the Windows public use desktop PCs with Ubuntu and Open Office, simply because we couldn't afford to spend $250 per PC on software. I was able to DOUBLE the number of PCs available to the public in libraries by repurposing older discarded PCs and using a new keyboard/mouse/monitor for about $120/per seat.
There were few complaints - we no longer needed to worry about viruses, we were able to eliminate hard drives and boot from the network in most cases, essential providing a fresh operating system image to each new user in a few minutes. Public utilization hours went UP by almost 100%, station downtime was reduced by > 50%. The Open Office suite worked pretty much the same as the older Microsoft Office suite it replaced. Those who think there's a learning curve in Linux haven't looked at a "windows user configured" PC running a recent Linux distribution. A casual user would notice few changes. If you're a power user going into Control Panel every few days, you, of course, are going to notice big changes. ... Desktop OS in the enterprise as opposed to @Home... What's happening in the marketplace generally, is what Citrix and Wyse predicted 15 years ago with the "thin client" idea. 80% of all servers in enterprise computing is virtualized, with VMWare, Microsoft Hyper-V or XenServer. This means that there is NOT a 1:1 correlation between hardware and operating system images in the server world any more. A similar phenomenon is happening with desktops. The Federal government is going through massive procurements of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, with the intent of reducing overall costs. Most major corporations have proof of concept or production pilots for VDI. VDI is the case where a desktop computer boots most of the operating system over a network. The intent is to provide all users with an identical destop, with the ability to store variable data in a centralized repository. This enables a very "thin" workstation to be used and eliminates problems with compliance and disaster recovery over data that isn't captured today from the disk drive on the end user workstation. This is also changing the desktop OS choice - a small boot image becomes important, as does the number of IO's that a computer does in the course of operation. The Linux varieties do quite well in this regard. I'm seeing large scale deployment of Ubuntu, CentOS and RedHat images, as well as Microsoft operating systems. YMMV, but don't put too much stock in what the desktop numbers are today - this is rapidly shifting and the *pedia sites lag a year or more. There is no reason NOT to use Linux for your desktop PC. Apple was once a small player in the PC marketplace - now they're the largest computer company in the world. And their products look a lot more like Linux than Windows. As has been said before in this thread, they are based on UNIX. Choose what works for you. Mickey N4MB On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 10:30 AM, Richard Clafton <rclaf...@riroc.com>wrote: > True indeed.**** > > ** ** > > But you need to consider your overall target user base level of competency > in computing too. I have built and configured several Flex Ready PC’s > for friends here in Houston, and these people are not competent in using a > PC or Windows (none of them –otherwise I would not have to build and > configure their PC’s), imagine me having to also get them through the > hurdles of using Linux. **** > > ** ** > > Mac OS – now there is another story, I love my Macs – but I will never > relegate them to being a Radio PC….. ;-) That would be a waste! *** > * > > ** ** > > Joking aside, personally I would love to see something on all platforms – > it would be nice to remove the OS dependency and have a choice. **** > > ** ** > > --**** > > Richard A Clafton | the brITish guy | W5\G7EIX**** > > RIROC - Hosting - Development - Technology**** > > http://www.riroc.com | rclaf...@riroc.com**** > > PugHearts of Houston Pug Rescue | www.PugHearts.com**** > > ** ** > > *From:* Mickey Baker [mailto:fishflor...@gmail.com] > *Sent:* Tuesday, September 13, 2011 8:59 AM > *To:* rclaf...@riroc.com > *Cc:* flexradio@flex-radio.biz > > *Subject:* Re: [Flexradio] Windows 8**** > > ** ** > > It would be a mistake to use current share of OS desktop usage as the sole > metric for choice of platform for a high performance application.**** > > ** ** > > Unless you were lucky, there were bumps in the road getting your FlexRadio > working on your existing Windows platform. Many of us purchased another PC - > or upgraded what we have in order to run PowerSDR over firewire > successfully. Odds are that the "existing platform" didn't handle PowerSDR > with two receivers, FireWire, and digital mode software well. **** > > ** ** > > When I began the task of getting a new PC together and making it work, I > remembered why I got a Mac several years ago. The entire Microsoft > experience is a quagmire that requires a competent helpdesk to make it work. > I have NEVER had to call apple**** > > ** ** > > I know nothing about the financial situation with Flex - the following is > generalized speculation after being involved with a number of technology > startups as an engineer, executive and consultant.**** > > ** ** > > The metric to use for a startup company's choice of direction is simply the > ability to produce a product. For example, if you have a staff and > contributors with a combined total of 20 years experience developing on a > Windows environment and none on UNIX/Linux/MacOS, you don't task them with > producing Linux-based software - or you will have made the choice to go out > of business, unless you have infusion of capital and a waiting market for > the resulting product.**** > > ** ** > > Inversely, you don't ask open source developers to work on .NET projects > unless they have that specific skill.**** > > ** ** > > To FlexRadio, I'll bet that ship has sailed. The choice for PowerSDR has > been made, unless the amateur radio market is a lot more lucrative than I > think it is, parallel code development for another OS would be a very > difficult choice that would require funding - which required payback at some > point in time and competes with funding for support and development for the > current product!**** > > ** ** > > PowerSDR-like software for Linux will come if and when the transceiver > hardware and firmware is well documented to the outside world and someone is > willing to take the time and risk the dollars for development. Flex could > subjugate their risk by licensing source code and design details to a > competent group with the understanding that everyone shares in profits in > the resulting product.**** > > ** ** > > There are other SDRs out there, most of us know that. But there's nothing > in the world that works as well for amateur radio as a FlexRadio and > PowerSDR. **** > > ** ** > > FlexRadio has a nice product, it works on the current Windows 7 platform > well, but I would like to see a MacOS version.**** > > ** ** > > But, if if ain't broke...**** > > ** ** > > 73,**** > > ** ** > > Mickey N4MB**** > > ** ** > > On Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 8:02 PM, Richard Clafton <rclaf...@riroc.com> > wrote:**** > > This will probably explain better why there is not much advantage in > concentrating time on > expensive development for a minority operating system. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems > > 2.38% share in the OS market for Linux. > > -- > Richard A Clafton | the brITish guy | W5\G7EIX > RIROC - Hosting - Development - Technology > http://www.riroc.com | rclaf...@riroc.com > PugHearts of Houston Pug Rescue | www.PugHearts.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz [mailto: > flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz] On Behalf Of Ross > Stenberg > Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 6:47 PM**** > > To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz**** > > Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Windows 8**** > > > If you want to stay with the masses, there is only one choice...Ubuntu. > > On 9/12/2011 5:55 PM, Dave Walker wrote: > > Which distro do you suggest flex align themselves with? > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: > http://www.flexradio.com/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio Systems Mailing List > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: > http://www.flexradio.com/**** > > ** ** > -- Mickey Baker Fort Lauderdale, FL “Tell me, and I will listen. Show me, and I will understand. Involve me, and I will learn.” Teton Lakota, American Indian Saying. _______________________________________________ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
