Most of us have stories about how we have done right by some family member and installed Linux for them in place of that other operating system. I myself have rescued my parental unit from the clutches of Vista.
Those of us who have done such a deed are quick to say it was part of the overall goal of spreading the Linux love around, one computer at a time. And that is, admittedly, a good explanation. Another, more honest assessment might be the fact that we get tired of doing all of the tech support for our relatives and friends.
I like my peace and quiet.
Curiously, for all this talk about loading up Grandma's PC with some hot Linux code, I wonder why there isn't a more concerted effort amongst the grass-roots and commercial communities to get Linux installed on business PCs.
Yes, Grandma deserves the best, that is true. But Grandma is actually a more complex PC user than the average businessperson, which can sometimes throw a curve into a Linux box. Grandma might get a new camera to plug in to her system, or a webcam to play video bridge. Or she might want to try new software to visit SinglesOver70.whatever.
This is not to say Linux can't do the job. In truth, Linux can and does handle these varied requirements better and better all the time. So, if it can handle Grandma's wild ways, it surely can handle the more mundane business user who should be more circumspect about the software and hardware he is using.
If I were the manager of an IT environment, I would not want end-users installing whatever they want, willy-nilly. Linux gives me far more control to manage this, both from an active side and a passive one, since one of the biggest FUD lines about Linux is a lack of applications comapred to other operating systems. If that is indeed the case, that becomes strength, not a weakness, in the business world.
The release of Chrome this week, and its focus on rich Internet applications (RIAs), reminded me that Linux is very quickly closing the application gap (real or perceived)--especially for business users. Firefox can handle RIAs better now, and presumably a Linux version of Chrome will provide more capabilities along these lines.
So, given Linux can is a secure platform with pretty good app penetration now and better coming very soon, when do we start seeing coodinated Linux on the business desktop efforts? Or will we be taking the same LiveCDs we used for Grandma over to the corner office and doing the marketing ourselves?
