Comment 292 for bug 1

I come at this from a very different angle. Microsoft owns the data center. We all can see that and after being in IT for over 17 years I have grown tired of having to baby sit Microsoft Servers for one reason or another. I have also seen companies like IBM threaten to move their entire company to Linux on their desktops and laptops, and at the end of the day seems more like a PR stunt than a plan of action.

Ubuntu being certified for DB2 was a move in the right direction. Now we need to do more. We need to work with IBM to get Lotus Domino certified for Ubuntu, Lotus Notes installer for Ubtuntu, and all of the other programs they have running on Linux with an RPM installer needs to have a deb version as well.

This of course is not going to solve the problem, but it points out a direction we need to take. I am going to pick on IBM as I have the most exposure with them. They also have a dog in this fight as they always have seen Microsoft as a partner selling their OS on Intel Servers and as a foe.

There also needs to be a push inside of the Ubuntu Project to show how Ubuntu Servers can directly replace Windows Servers. I know this has been done a million times by the "Linux" community, but there need to be an installer for SugarCRM that makes it easy to install on Ubuntu. There needs to be a Mail Server that is a package that installs and replaces Exchange without any fuss. If you Raid the Data Center and start replacing Servers and systems and start saving IT shops money you will see a rash or movement. Right now IT shops everywhere are paying a high price with Microsoft to keep the place up and running.

We also need to have "Distributions/Installers" or "CDs/ISOs" that just install a Server like LAMP does now. Where we can just pick an option and have a file and print server with a GUI to control it. You have to beat Microsoft at the Wizard level to get the MSCE techs to work on it. Most don't know how to do anything without a wizard.

I hae to dumb down Linux but in order for the majority MCSE to jump on board there has to be a move to cater to them, because most of them are afraid of a command line and a text file. I am not picking on them, this is just 17 years of IT talking.

CITRIX would be a nice little app to replace as well. It eats up IT budgets and is really not needed from CITRIX. There are plenty of easy to use cheaper alternatives out there and no one is pushing them.

Then we can talk about replacing the desktop and laptop systems. The bulk of the employees in any company I have worked with need some of the following apps on Windows.

Office
Telnet (TN5250 - I am an iSeries Admin)
JDE Fat Client via Citrix
eMail
Web Browsing
High Level Excel Stuff
ODBC from Office Suite (Excel) to iSeries and other data.
Lotus Notes Client
Outlook Client

That is pretty much it. We could grow the list but you have to bet Microsoft in the workplace and not on Home system. Apple has gone after the home user and while they have done well they are not making huge strides like they could if they had run full steam into the data center.