Re: SEUL: A few thoughts

[jfm2@club-internet.fr]

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   Date: Sun, 01 Jun 1997 14:29:41 -0700
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   Brian Bruns wrote:

   > I see linux as a business system in more of a server role initially at

   OK, I can agree with that.  That's probably a good reasons for us to at
   least *try* to include the servers in this distribution, including
   simple setup procedures.  I believe it's a natural extension of setting
   up Linux for the end user.  (They certainly wouldn't be installed by
   default....I'm just saying let's give them an easy way to do it.)

I also agree but I think we must target the needs of small companies:
it is better to have easy to use (and to write) tools for their needs
than handling all cases with a user hostile tool than will take years
to be written.

I am sceptical about Linux use in big organisations.  The reason is
than I work in one of them: we have specialized personnel for buying
software, they don't pay with their pocket and they are not the
victims of slowness or crashes.  So their natural tendency is not to
buy the better/most reliable solution but the one where they don't get
the blame.  The sentence "No one has been fired for buying IBM" did
not mean than IBM products were always good, but nobody blamed you if
you buyed a bad IBM product because most of your competitors were
doing the same thing and in the exceptionnal cases were the IBM
product was not the top seller you didn't get the blame because you
made the "natural thing".  If you want to keep your job it is more
dangerous to have one crash with Linux than ten crashes with NT.

However I once was present at a discussion between a vendor and a
buyer from a small company.  The buyer wanted to share disks for
Windows clients and the vendor was trying to sell him NT plus a BIG
Pc.  The buyer was very reluctant because it was too expensive.

Small companies have small technical staffs and if you only need one
server then an NT licence is cheaper the salary you pay to the person
who is RTFMing about Samba for a week.  But if we cover their needs
with tools who allow them to be running in one hour then these
companies could choose Linux if they know about it because they are
cost conscious and don't put decisions in the hands of aparatchiks.

-- 
			Jean Francois Martinez

==================== The Linux.  Use the Linux, Luke! =======================

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