Who are we working for

[George Bonser <grep@oriole.sbay.org>]

I will admit that I am a bit sleepy so I am going to make this short.

Thought must be given to who we are targeting SEUL for.  Certainly the
goal is to provide the average desktop user with an operating system
platform that is stable and easy to install. One that is functional,
powerful, and useful. That is the goal but in the meantime, we must look
at who is using it now.  Where is Linux experiancing its greatest growth?
I offer the following speculations:

I think our current "killer app" is SAMBA.  Consider this: Cisco Systems
uses Linux world-wide with SAMBA as its print servers for its PC networks.
Other companies (the one I work for included ... Capital Technologies
http://www.captech.com ) also use SAMBA as a print server and filesystem
server for PC's replacing NT Server.  One major semiconductor manufacturer
where I am now working as a contractor is using SAMBA on Sun Enterprise
servers for this purpose.

It is SAMBA that is, in the short run, going to get Linux into the
workplace.  

In a way, Linux is going to find its way into the mainstream in the
opposite way that Windows did.  Windows was a home OS that eventually
gained networking skills and moved into the workplace.  Linux is an
operating system born with networking skills that has to learn how to
behave itself at home.

We should, in my opinion, at first load SEUL up with networking apps such
as LPRng, Magicfilter, etc. for the first release and then concentrate on
making it friendly for the desktop user.  Don't get me wrong!  I think
that the desktop work can go in parallel with the server work.  It is just
that I think we can get a business server out there in a hurry while the
desktop work is ongoing.

Thoughts please.


George Bonser 
If NT is the answer, you didn't understand the question. (NOTE: Stolen sig)
http://www.debian.org
Debian/GNU Linux ... the maintainable operating system.