Interview with KDE Chairman

[Warren Togami]

http://www.linuxlookup.com/html/interviews/kde-interview-2001.html

Very informative interview with the chairman of the KDE League.  This part
of the interview below is related to the benefits of what I push for Linux
desktops in schools.  Their setup is very similar to what I will launch at
Mid-Pac, and Brian Chee will soon launch in the UH ICS department.  (They
already bought a large number of ThinkNIC Linux appliances for the task,
currently sitting in boxes in the lab.)

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The most significant achievement with KDE 2.2.x is that we have concentrated
and succeeded on producing a desktop environment which is ready for
enterprise deployment.  ... the ability to install and administer a
KDE/Linux desktop has become simple, intuitive and user-friendly,
particularly for the many users migrating from a Windows or Mac background.
This simplicity, combined with the rich features and maturity of KDE, make
KDE the clear desktop of choice for companies wishing to shave large,
burdensome fees from their IT budgets.
KDE: I (Andreas Pour) actually went and visited Largo to see their
operations and talk with the administrators who implemented the system and
the users of the system.  They have truly done an excellent job down there.

The biggest advantage of the thin client solution is the huge savings in IT
technical support staff.  I was meeting in their IT office for many hours
and the whole time not a single technical support call came in. I was told
this is totally normal and that it only requires half a person to provide
user technical support for all 800 users!  In this case, of course, they are
able to exploit the advantages of thin clients and of Unix system security.
The result is extremely stable, responsive systems.

They have also been very realistic and creative in meeting the computing
needs of their user base -- which includes not only the municipal offices
but the police department (including teleprompters in squad cars) and the
fire department.  The interface is strikingly easy to use for users coming
from a Windows background.  They have combined various technologies so, when
necessary, users can run Windows applications -- such as MS Office
components -- directly from their KDE desktop.

There are always going to be a couple of simple selling points that come
into play with KDE versus any proprietary project. When people look at the
Largo project they will learn how the City saved money, how it obtained
control over its users' desktop environment, and how the City's computers
now work to serve the City's needs rather than the needs of some
unresponsive, distant, huge monopoly.