RE: Linux at work (real world) + and at HOME

[Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- jci -dot- com]

Since my OS of choice is neither Windows nor Linux, perhaps my disorganized
ramblings can contribute something of note to this discussion:

Will Linux work with (list of peripherals)?

My experience suggests the correct answer is "yes, eventually." Last time I
tried it, I was installing a copy of Mandrake on my daughter's Vaio
(desktop, not laptop). After several tries, we managed to find a video
setting that would work, and also a mouse setting (neither would work
correctly "out of the box"). Didn't have a DVD handy to test, but the DVD
drive read a CD, so we figure it worked. I have my suspicions yet about the
CD-RW drive in the system, but I can't point my finger to anything
definite, so let that pass. After about 6 hours worth of work, we had a
(kinda/sorta) working Linux system for her. Contrast this with
substantially less than an hour to install Windows.

Using anything other than a Windows system, in most cases, costs time. It
costs time to convert from whatever the original application is to whatever
Linux app you're using is, and back again. If you're not passing lots of
documents around, this time loss is probably not significant. If you pass
many docs, or interact with a lot of people in a team, the time loss can be
significant. Also, sometimes formatting info is lost (and it's not always
the fault of the Linux apps; Word can do some funky things all on it's own
when it sees something unfamiliar; however, if both ends of the chain used
Word the fault would not appear, so the proximate cause is the Linux app).
This comes from a decade of experience passing files across platforms; in
that time I've come to realize that *no* conversion is faultless -- the
best you can hope for is the faults won't show up in the limited subset of
features you're using.

I've never seen a TCO study yet I trust; the methodology is always
incomplete. They rarely take into account training costs for support staff,
for example. They always assume the support staff is omni-competent, a
blessing which happens in all too few corporations, alas.

>From a corporation's point of view, you don't need a reason to run Windows;
you *do* need one to run anything else (all of us who prefer a non-MS OS
find this a regrettable fact, but a fact nonetheless). If you're choosing
for yourself, you can decide the extra time involved is worth it for
numerous reasons. I've always been a firm believer that you should use the
tool which fits your hand best. At a construction site, no one cares what
the brand name is on the saw or hammer you're wielding, just how well you
can use it. Also, on a construction site the workmen supply their own
tools; another POV for "gold collar" workers I've long thought was a Good
Idea.

I've used Linux for a few years now (though of late I've been using it less
and less) but never have made it my primary system, because too many tools
for it are lacking, either in capability or in usability. Lots of cool
techie tools, to be sure (which is no surprise since techies make most of
the decisions about what gets developed for the platform) but very few
tools outside of that niche. Do I like Linux? It's OK. It's more stable and
secure than Windows, but is also more limited. So you pays your money/time
and takes your choice.

I know that I am not able to do everything I need to do in my computing
life on Linux. I *could* on Windows, but I wouldn't enjoy it. Neither
option is appealing.

Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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In God we trust; all others must provide data.
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Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.


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