On Fri, 2001-11-09 at 16:55, Mike Bresnahan wrote:
> Why are so many people so concerned about Linux being accepted by the
> corporate world?  Linux is cool because of the very fact that it is not
> accepted by the corporate world.  It's highly configurable, the source code
> is available, it's free... it's, it's geek heaven!  To become accepted by
> the corporate world some or all of these things would have to change, no?
> It would have to become more like Microsoft Windows and in so doing it would
> cease to be cool.  I say, forget about evangelizing Linux to the corporate
> world and leave it where it belongs and is loved.  Am I insane?

Yes, you are insane.

OK, seriously, you are speaking as one who does not experience the joy
of supporting Windows on the corporate desktop. I have experienced this
"joy" for over six years, and I am gunning for Linux every chance I get.
I am now a consultant, and I "evangelize" for Linux whenever the
opportunity arises, because I truly believe it will save my customers
time, frustration, and (most importantly from a business standpoint)
MONEY in both the short and long runs.

If Linux changed in any of its most important attributes (free as in
speech, free as in beer, stable, secure, etc.), it would no longer be
Linux. Furthermore, it would no longer provide the value proposition to
businesses that it now does, in terms of lower TCO compared to Windows.

Just because average corporate users are able to function efficiently
using Linux with KDE, Gnome, or whatever (plus the necessary office
apps, etc.), does not automatically preclude its still being insanely
configurable for geeks and power users. The two are *not* mutually
exclusive!

So anyway, I say that Linux can and will continue being "geek heaven"
for those of us who want it to be, while at the same time becoming even
easier to use and more stable for those who just need to get their work
done with a minimum of hassle and no unplanned rebooting ;-)

Dave
-- 
Where will it all end?  Probably somewhere near where it all began.
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