[TriLUG] Where is Linux today?

[Greg Brown]

Selling Linux because it's "Open and Free" is impossible to do outside the
tech world.  Everyone is going to want to know how Linux could benefit their
company as apposed to other close software and other free variants like
BSD.  Trying to sell someone a Linux desktop because "it's free" isn't going
to fly when the company has to retrain people to use a new system vs. the
"old and closed" one they have before.  It stinks, but that's the way it is.

As Tanner pointed out OS X ships with a lot of OSS software as well as some
closed software.  I wish Linux could have a desktop that is as good as OS X
but when OS X first came out the first words out of my mouth were "this is
what Linux on the desktop should look and feel like".  Don't get my wrong,
Ubuntu and some other distros are making great strides, but they just aren't
there yet.  Plus Apple has the "iPod halo effect".

But, at the same time, I'd be much happier if Linux were more widely
adopted.  Take my networks on the outer banks.  I have BSD based firewalls
and Linux back-end severs (very few).  I have demoed time and time again
Linux based desktops but one stinking proprietary app stuck in the middle
keeps everyone on Windows.  I managed to get one OS X machine in the mix
working as a desktop and a video capture server but the client still needed
access to that windows app and on went Parallels (and later Fusion) along
with XP.  I hated doing it but I had no other choice.

And as for displacing the big, ugly windows app in the center?  I'm nearly
given up on that fight.  They spent too much money to purchase it and want
no parts of not having it at the center of their universe.  Frustrating.

On Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 7:32 PM, jason tower <jtower at cerient.net> wrote:

> > What does Mac do that Linux does not?
>
> be proprietary and closed
>
> i am amazed at how many people in the trilug community give this fact
> little to no consideration.
>
> jason
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