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Re: Part III: Corporate Desktop Linux - The Hard Truth (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Feb 25, 2005 - 02:33 AM

Dang, guy. Why did you not deliver 2 - 3 Boxes ALONGSIDE the old machines. Telling the one who should use the machine that it is a testing machine, and you would like to work with him together on any issues that arise. Really make him (or her) feel like you are there to solve the problems. Never shift the machine onto them without being there holding their hand and providing an immediate backup solution if something goes wrong (the old computer). There is no problem with having 2 computers on your desk as long as these 2 computers can talk to each other.

I am no admin myself, but I was switched from an SGI IRIX machine 3 years ago to an HPUX machine I am using now, and will be switched to a dual boot Linux/Windows PC next month. Of course I will have both machines on my table for some months until the switch is done. By the way, I am calculation engineer for car engines (doing crankshaft strength analyses and the likes), use Linux at home and am quite forgiving towards computer failure, but still I need some months to fulfil the transition.

When you finally managed to switch over 3 key users so they no longer need the old computer, you can do the rest of them within one month (but still let them have both machines).

Re: Part III: Corporate Desktop Linux - The Hard Truth (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Feb 25, 2005 - 03:01 AM

It's me again, see above.

I might add that migration could be a lot more expensive than staying with Windows, in fact it was like that in my department.

Windows: TCO 98 EUR/month, Linux: TCO 152 EUR/month. Why?

- General policy of our company demands MS Office as ONLY office application

- 2 proprietary special purpose programs we use are only available for Windows (but would not work under wine or crossover) therefore we would need to keep our Windows terminal servers (which is a high cost if you have to pay for it ADDITIONALLY).

- EDS does not support Linux in Austria, we could have payed them for Linux-admins on an hourly basis, and we would have to pay for Redhat support additionally. I know this is stupid, but outsourcing the infrastructure your company relies on is stupid anyway, it keeps you from making good decisions, because every experiment you would want to make would cost you double because EDS wants to get paid REAL GOOD for this. In effect OUR IT - policy is dictated by EDS, and there is no easy way out.

Do not generalize this very special TCO study, in effect I think if you have the guts to make a switch towards open source software as far as possible, and are not dependent on a buerocratic EDS team as we are, the TCO for Linux would show some 70 - 80 EUR/Month.