Re: [seul-edu] M$ Audits (long) [was Re: MS targeting...]

[Alan Chen <alan@digikata.com>]

On Tue, Apr 23, 2002 at 09:16:16AM -0400, Stephen C. Daukas wrote:
> The issue now is one of "what practical alternative is there to 
> Microsoft?"  The answer may well be "nothing yet."  It could even be, wait 
> to see what "pay as you go" brings to the table.
> 
> When this thread first started, I began wondering what is available as a 
> real alternative to M$ for the great unwashed masses.  Of course, the 
> answer I would expect to hear is "Linux!", but...
> 
> I'm talking about a solution that is useable by those who are not rabid 
> members of a LUG, or Sys Admins in their day job, or past High-tech 
> professionals that have become educators. I'm talking about productivity 
> software that will read and write M$ file formats (Excel, Word, etc.) 
> without a user even realizing it.  (I don't know, for example, if Star 
> Office is a real alternative because I don't know how well it interoperates 
> with those who use Word, for example, on a daily basis.)  Perhaps there is 
> a solution that will reliably run M$ applications without having to buy the 
> OS, but that is only a step in the right direction and essentially what 
> Apple offers - at a premium - and still doesn't solve the real issue.

To add another point in support of OpenOffice /Staroffice 6.0.  I have
been using it since SO 6.0beta and have had no problems sharing word
documents between other MS users.

> Imagine a school system that decides to go Linux and what they would 
> face!  Even if they were completely self contained (i.e., Star Office for 
> everyone in the district and the municipality itself), they couldn't afford 
> the UNIX/Linux talent to keep the whole thing running.  Forgive me for 
> saying it, but MCSE talent ain't even close to the level required for 
> UNIX/Linux, and this is reflected by their respective salaries in the 
> market today (and my past experience in managing techies and realizing that 
> MCSE certification has been degrading over the years).
> 
> So, that leaves us with two killer issues, or barriers to entry:  The 
> market dominance of M$ productivity apps and the ability to attract and 
> retain Linux/UNIX Sys Admin talent.


The salary difference is typically because the equivalent Linux/Unix
admin can generally manage larger numbers of machines at a higher
availability level than the equivalent MSCE.

If you haven't already, I would suggest you goto the recently posted link
on quantative data collected in support of Open Source software solutions.

http://www.dwheeler.com/oss_fs_why.html

One area that the author doesn't mention directly is maintenance costs.  However,
given that reliability numbers for Linux/UNIX are higher and the security costs are
lowere, maintenance cost should similiarly be lower.


> Since I'm new to the education sector, and since I'm going to be 
> inextricably involved with this very issue at my new job this fall, I was 
> hoping to hear what success folks have had in trying to replace M$, and if 
> Linux is ready to work in heterogeneous High-Tech world.

Good luck, and make sure to post here if you need any help making the case
for Open Source at your job.

- alan

-- 
Alan Chen
Digikata LLC
http://digikata.com