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AnchorDesk Staff
How to Persuade Your Boss to Take the Linux Plunge

AnchorDesk Staff
ZDNet AnchorDesk
Thursday, January 21, 1999
TalkBack!Add your opinion
When my (admittedly wacky) staff tries to talk me into something, each one uses a different method. Tech Director Jon DeKeles argues the technical merits. Web doyenne Annette Hamilton tries to overwhelm me with cyber-buzzwords. Our GenX gadget guru Nicci Noteboom persuades with promises of fewer personal phone calls and coffee breaks.

But I'm a cold, hard, logical man (just ask my staff). And I respond best to cold, hard logic.

Which brings me to Linux, subject of today's Special Edition. This open source software has generated lots of emotion. But if it is ever to join the mainstream as a bona fide rival to Windows NT, Linux will have to provide logical business reasons, not just religious zeal.

Written eight years ago by Linus Torvalds, then a Finnish grad student, Linux is not only free but boasts a reputation for stability. "We in the engineering companies around NASA in Florida are seeing increased interest in Linux," writes system admin Kirt Merrill. "It is stable, and fast. The more people I talk to, the more I hear about Linux. Some have implemented, some are trying it more slowly."

If you're a systems admin, you're already convinced Linux is worth a look at the very least. But you still have to convince the folks upstairs. Luckily, several recent developments make Linux more and more logical as a safe, corporate choice:

Windows 2000: Microsoft's soon-to-be flagship product is faltering. Click for more.

Reliability: For must-stay-up applications, Linux is less crash-prone than Windows NT. Such solidity is why, to cite but one example, retail chain Jay Jacobs is installing a Linux-based inventory management system. Click for more.

Support: Until recently, Linux was a tough sell because product support was sketchy. No longer. Not with Caldera Systems, Informix and Red Hat Software distributing Linux. (Click for more.) Heck, even old boys IBM and Compaq Computer support the OS now. Click for more.

Customizable: Because the source code isn't secret, Linux can be tailored to meet your company's needs. Click for more.

Price: Depending on where you get it, Linux software costs nothing or almost nothing. Click for more. The real costs derive from monitoring and supporting the OS. And since Linux crashes less, support should cost less.

Powerful arguments indeed. But first, a word of warning. Linux isn't for everybody. It's way too techie for lone desktops and small offices. Linux is a Unix offspring, so don't consider it unless you're a veteran computer user with Unix experience.

Should you decide to tackle Linux, these are helpful resources:

But first check out the rest of the stories in today's Special Edition:

Jon DeKeles has a Linux toolkit with free downloads. Click for more.
Ben Elgin reveals what resellers are doing to get a piece of the freeware pie. Click for more.
Henry Kingman presents a Linux primer with starter tips and tricks. Click for more.

What is your take on Linux? Are you reluctant to try it -- or a big fan? Use the TalkBack button below to send me a message directly. And join my Berst Alerts forum to talk it over with other AnchorDesk readers. Oh yes, please take the Quick Poll. I may respond best to cold, hard logic. But everybody else around here thinks prevailing sentiment ought to count for something.

Which best describes your attitude about Linux:
I'd like to see my company move to Linux.
My company already uses Linux.
I hope my company never moves to Linux.

   

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