Presentations For ITEC - Submit Early!!!

Warren Togami warren at togami.com
Wed Aug 1 21:36:56 PDT 2001


I disagree.  We must show Open Source alternatives that are better and
cheaper for all operating systems, including Windows.  With millions of
Windows desktops, they own public mindshare as well as 95% of the
desktop/workstastion market.  It is important that we create a smooth
migration path from the proprietary platform to Open Source platforms,
otherwise the market will barely budge.  If we follow a closed minded
approach and completely ignore Windows by principle, we risk not show the
safety of familiarity, the benefits of interoperability and platform
neutrality that must be our main selling points to convert the masses.
Understandable, realistic merits like these will be the only thing that may
convince the pointy haired bosses at ITEC, not fanaticism of the zealot.

Smooth Migration Path
By showing that quality Open Source software works well on Windows, many
traditional proprietary shops will adopt it on their current platforms.  If
they that see their same OSS application works just as well on Linux, what
will they be more likely to buy the next time hardware upgrades roll around?
StarOffice/OpenOffice is a great example of OSS fulfilling this task, laying
the foundation for future conversions.

Interoperability and Platform Neutrality
What if Samba were never written, simply because Jeremy Allison decided that
he shouldn't support evil proprietary operating systems?  Apache, Perl, PHP,
and MySQL support Windows along with many other platforms, so Windows
developers at least have a CHANCE of learning Open Source platforms for web
applications.  VNC is a great cross-platform remote desktop application
similar to PC Anywhere, with servers and clients for many Unix platforms,
Windows and MacOS.  (Check out TridiaVNC.com for a great easy to use
packaged version of VNC.  Try the new "Tight" encoding that reduces
bandwidth needs far enough that dial-up modems are almost usable with remote
desktops.)  VNC also allows me to pull up a full KDE desktop session on any
Windows or Mac client on the network or across the Internet within 5
seconds.  Cygwin allows many Unix programs to be compiled easily on a
Windows platform.  It is great to tunnel VNC via OpenSSH directly into a
Windows machine, while using bash and gcc on the same machine at native
speeds.  With Transgaming's development, WINE will one day be a viable
platform with excellent compatibility for most Windows games.  Win4Lin and
VMWare are great for avoiding dual booting when you need certain
applications, and for sandboxed system and development testing with easy
filesystem rollback.  Ximian's .NET and C# implementation, if successful,
would create unparelled development advancements that would greatly benefit
Open Source, while hopefully providing further interoperability with
Microsoft CLR applications.  (Yet to be seen...)

Why would we NOT want to show these cool and useful things are possible with
Linux and Open Source?

----- Original Message -----
From: "al plant" <webmaster at hawaiidakine.com>
To: "Linux & Unix Advocates & Users" <luau at list.luau.hi.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 5:24 PM
Subject: [luau] Re: Presentations For ITEC - Submit Early!!!
>
> I think we owe it to them to show them the better path.
> Micro$oft  is going to charge them an annual fee for all
> it's programs with the next release anyway as I see it from
> the posts. So I think they should hear about alternatives
> that keep them away from the Micro$oft tax. And a system
> that doenst have the problems that outlook and the rest of
> their programs have in respect to attacks. Just look at the
> posts on this list of the issues today with the worm.
>



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