QOTD: Have You Replaced Windows with Linux?, Apr 30, 2009

Times changes a lot of things, and it definitely changes the computing landscape. These days, there are so many good choices to use--particularly in the Linux space.

Linux does not suck. It only sucks if you have never tried it or are afraid to try an open-source operating system.

The recession is apparently driving some firms to look at Linux as a cost-saving alternative to Microsoft – is it time for open source to take off?

Apple users are the most dedicated and fervent operating system fans with undying loyalty to their operating system, hardware and peripherals. And they're just as loyal now to the new Unix-based OS X as they were to the old proprietary Mac OS. However, when given the option of a Linux-based computer or a Windows-based one, 100% say they would rather use Linux.

Cloud computing - or at least all the talk about it - is causing IT vendors to change their pitches on the off chance that cloud could actually end up generating some money.

Looking for the best way to try Linux without giving up Windows? A new guide will give you plenty of food for thought.

Imagine a trailer hooked on to the back of an Indy car - the effect on performance would be similar to what happens when you hook up hard drives to a server. That's because a hard drive is a slow, delicate, mechanical component attached to a computer system that is otherwise made up of solid-state electronics built for speed.

One by-product of the need to get netbooks onto the market with a small price has seen major laptop manufacturers embrace Linux as the operating system they pre-load the machines with.

We all know that Google Android netbook devices will be hitting the streets in the coming months. They are going to be running on really inexpensive ARM-based hardware and be getting an easy, unified interface, care of Google.

Choice is a wonderful thing. Not everyone wants the same thing, after all. Freedom of choice means the most accessible, best-suited or cheapest products tend to thrive, while the unsuitable or unsupportably expensive simply fade away.

If it has a CPU, you can run Linux on it. Xboxes or iPhones, cars or calculators, Linux can live quite happily on any of these devices. But, when it comes to the desktop or laptop, how much processing power do you need to run a modern Linux desktop?

Word has reached our ears that some people have been buying Linux-powered netbooks, then taking them back to the shop because they can't install Windows software on them. Folly!

The best and the worst attributes of Linux as a desktop operating system involve acquiring and maintaining software applications.

Sidelined as an OS only for Linux enthusiasts, Desktop-Linux today seems to find more compelling reason into enterprises.

First it was "the desktop". Now it's "the netbook" -- as in, what's the big proving ground for Linux vs. Windows going to be? And the latest hotly-debated bit of conventional wisdom is whether the Linux-based netbooks just don't cut it compared to their Windows cousins. The real problem seems to be who's willing to do more to bring regular users in.

As Windows 7, Ubuntu 9.04 and Fedora 11 all approach their launch dates, the author has been thinking about the differences in how they're created and released.

While security features are getting an update, the core of the company's networking OS could see a shift to Linux within months.

Google has announced the availability of an Android 1.5 SDK preview release. It will give developers an early look at some of the features that are planned for the new version of Google's mobile operating system.

While the global recession may have many down in the dumps, it's apparently good news for Linux, with market research outfit IDC claiming it's going to come out of the crunch a winner.

With cost-cutting pressures expected to continue into the post-recessionary phase, ABI Research predicts that Linux will benefit from the entry into the market of lower-cost netbooks that run ARM-based processors.

SYNNEX, a leading software and hardware distributor, has partnered up with Red Hat and other open-source ISV (independent software vendors) to form the Open Source Channel Alliance. It may just be what's needed to get Linux and open-source software into more offices.

With the stock market shedding half of its value between July 2007 and January 2009, the market price of a lot of public technology companies has essentially been put on a “50% off sale.” This creates an atmosphere that is ripe for consolidation. As soon as the companies with the cash have confidence that the economy is at an inflection point, they will start spending money to position themselves for the turnaround.

Like begets like, and in the software world, open-source purchasing begets even more open-source purchases.

Linux Foundation CEO Jim Zemlin says that Linux adoption is advancing two to three times faster than that of other platforms and that it will be boosted as companies consolidate their technical infrastructure during this economic downturn. Similar views were expressed by an IDC analyst who has recently authored a report which suggests that Linux will withstand the recession better than its competitors.

Here is an interesting fact - when customers are offered choice on equally well-engineered computers around a third will select Ubuntu over XP.

Virtualization, cloud computing, and adoption by startups will make Linux the fastest-growing operating system, post economic downturn.

If we agree to accept the premise that Linux is not yet perfect, then does it need more outside critics to guide its development path? Or are there already too many? Or, as Goldilocks might say, is the number just right?

Microsoft has made a tactical mistake in deciding to compete with Apple on price in its latest, much debated, Laptop Hunters TV ads. That switch of focus in the fight with Apple will rebound in its battle against Linux, because Linux is cheaper than Windows for users and OEMs serving them.

Some netbook retailers are slamming Linux for boosting their product-return rates. Here's why you should take their protests with a grain of salt.

At the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit, the open source OS's desktop, mobile, and cloud potential were explored

With a shrinking server market, financial services firms are porting more applications to Linux at the expense of Unix and other legacy platforms.

Perhaps one of the most common myths surrounding desktop Linux is the belief that modern distributions do not provide decent hardware support.

Question of the week: Some of us are lucky. We get to use Linux every day as our primary - or even our only - operating system. But many users are forced - or even choose - to use a different operating system throughout their work day and then switch to Linux once they have knocked off. Tell us which of these you use the most on an average day

Why isn't Linux on more desktops? Here are the usual reasons: 1) Microsoft has hardware vendors locked-in; 3) Monstrous Windows installed base; and 3) Operating system and application FUD. Here's the reason we don't talk about much: the Linux distributors don't encourage the Linux desktop.

Developers putting Linux on consumer devices aren't weirdos mining a niche, according to the Intel man who last year volunteered to help maintain embedded Linux.

There’s no shortage of Web-centric Linux tools — the trick if figuring out which ones are best for your needs.

One analyst questions the 'reliability' of Microsoft's evidence.

Today Linux is the go-to operating system for high performance computing, while it continues to extend its footprint in the broader IT community. In the financial services arena, in particular, Linux is being seen as a critical technology for increasing ROI.

Anthony Golia, executive director of enterprise computing at Morgan Stanley, told attendees at the High Performance Linux on Wall Street show this morning that his firm has been using Linux in a big way since 2001.

Microsoft helping Linux? No way. Microsoft and Linux would forever be mortal enemies and one, hopefully Linux, would rise above the other in absolute world domination. Well, that hasn't happened. In fact it seems as if the two operating systems are determined to coexist in the IT world. Here is a list of the ways in which Microsoft could help Linux solidify itself as a viable enterprise and end user solution.

The Linux laptop business represents a Chinese industry trying to serve a Western market and getting lost in the translation.

Linux OS Server shipments have and will continue to slip by double-digit margins in 2009. Windows Server shipments are hit hard as well but almost 5% less so than those of Linux. The original report came from IDC.

Microsoft and TomTom might have settled over patents, but that's not stopped one Linux advocate from calling on manufacturers to adopt a "FAT-free diet".

Microsoft might be betting big on Windows 7, the next version of its flagship operating system, but to Ubuntu Linux founder Mark Shuttleworth, the upcoming release is really an opportunity for Linux to shine.

Now that you’ve decided to try Linux, you might be wondering what applications are available to perform all the tasks that you used to do on a Windows or Mac system.

Verizon Wireless considers Linux-based software a possible long-term contender for use on its phones, but doesn't view it as a "preferred" solution, the carrier's head said.

The current economic climate will lead to the increased adoption of Linux in 2009. This is according to a market survey by IDC, which states Linux is in a good position to emerge from this downturn as a stronger solution.

Buying a netbook with Linux is not as easy as it initially promised to be. Here is a selection of mid-level netbooks that could be bought with Linux pre-installed. Most of the specs on the machines below are comparable - some may have slightly more hard drive space and others an extra 512MB memory - but none of them ship with built-in 3G which would make them simply too expensive.

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