Linux Instead of Windows XP For Corporate Users?

As an IT Manager, I am often asked by staff and especially by senior management, what will happen with Microsoft and the move to Vista should we be looking at Linux instead? Well, as a long standing user and installer of XP Professional based systems, I have become a big fan of the stability and functionality of the system, but have always had a close eye on Linux and how it is improving for use as a desktop system replacement.

Tux Penguin

The recent introduction of Vista has been a god send for most Linux users, as it has been shown to be bloated in functionality, and not suitable for most of the PC systems that are in place in an ordinary corporate environment. The requirement for Aero is quite extensive, and most of the businesses I have worked for in recent times have not had enough decent PC stock to consider using Vista. I know you can turn it all off, but what is the point in spending all that money to turn features off? I would consider it a big challenge to produce a supporting recommendation to install Vista in a workplace, and with the problems it has introduced, it has made it a lot easier to consider such alternatives as Linux.

The other aspects to Vista that have caused issues are the redesigned network stack and also User Access Control (UAC) . UAC can be tamed with various tools, to become almost invisible, but for an Administrator, it is one more issue to have to contend with. The networking stack is another bone of contention, and getting it to play nicely with XP in a common network environment is also something to deal with.

I am always amazed when Microsoft churns out another piece of OS software, at how little is done to make things easier for the people that manage their software on a daily basis, yes the poor Techs and Administrators. Managing a roll out, or an SOE is always a challenge, but Microsoft just keep throwing a spanner in the works!

I have been considering a locked down version of SUSE, as I have also been an administrator for a lot of Novell based server Operating Systems in the past, and kept an eye on their product range. I think that cnet made a valid point in an article on the same subject, by stressing the cost effectiveness comparison of installing Linux against installing Vista.

I for one am particularly impressed with SUSE, and have had a very positive experience with installing it, both singly, or in multi boot mode with Vista or XP. The use of other technologies such as Wine or Crossover have made it a lot more interesting when considering that final migration step. Senior Managers are always focused on the bottom line dollar, and will always show interest when you mention the financial benefits.

Consideration points when thinking of taking the step include:

User Training

How will the users cope with the switch, what will the training cost? Can it be done in house?

How will your application base cope?

A stringent testing plan will need to be put in place for all those bespoke applications that have been created to run on XP etc.

Which applications can be used natively?

Which of your application set can be run natively on Linux, can you use Linux based applications instead? Applications such as Firefox, OpenOffice, Samba etc can cover most of your major requirements, depending of course on your business model.

Once you examine all the issues, and you have determined that you have a suitable budget and the time to do it, the process of migrating becomes manageable. I am seriously considering it within the next two year timeframe, and have already raised a proposal to roll it out on some Mini-ITX type boards for our Library users who need Internet access. The plan is to retain the Steadystate PCs and add in a few Linux PCs for each Library. They will be imaged from a server using PXE Boot type processes. I have already been in contact with someone in the US who has managed such a process for his Libraries, and I think it will be an interesting experiment. I will cover the use of Steadystate to lock up XP type PCs in a future article.