[luau] Thinktech Hawaii and Linux

[Gary Dunn]

On Sat, 15 Feb 2003 12:58:01 -1000
"maddog" <maddog at heavymetaalradio.net> wrote:

> > Thanks for the invitation and I am a little surprised. Every time I
> > have tried (and others) to bring up Linux and open source on this
> > show, I feel I have been brushed off with disdain. Nice to see there
> > is some one there interestested enough to post on our board.
> >
> The main reason for the attitude that you experienced is that ThinkTech
> Hawaii's board of directors are all buisiness people from the business
> community. We are all windows users and some are programmers. None of us
> (up until about 6 weeks ago) had ever used Linux. After I downloaded it
> and got it installed I am surprisingly happy with it and I think with
> more development it could replace windows servers. I had quite a
> difficult time in talking my fellow advisors into doing a show on Linux
> until I got the Host of the show, Jay Fidell, to meet with Ho'ala the
> other day. I am plesed to announce that we are going to do a show on
> Linux and where and how it can replace Windows in the business
> environment.
> 
> I believe that after the show people will view Linux in a different
> light. I still don't see it replacing desktops simply because the apps
> are not mature enough to compete with the features of Office. There is
> however, hope for the future. I am highly impressed with the suite of
> apps that comes with the RH distro and I am slowly learning how to use
> it and integrate it into my Windows network and I can assure you that
> there will be future segments on Linux.
> 
> Hope that explains the attitude that you got and I hope that you
> understand theat this atitude is prevelent in the business community. It
> is very hard for seasoned businessmen and women to trust something that
> is Open Source as it is completely contrary to their way of thinking. I
> will do my best to promote it and HOSEF at every turn I can. Please keep
> me informed of your meetings and if someone can email me a "Bio" of the
> Pricebusters location I will post it on the Thinktech Site.I believe in
> what you are doing and am willing to help promote you as much as
> possible.


The good news here is that maddog is willing to consider alternatives to
Microsoft, and that this will expose the ThinkTech board to this line of
thinking. The flip side is not so much bad news as sad news, that he and
the other leadership who bill themselves as hi-tech are anything but.

> ... I think with
> more development it could replace windows servers.

Really? When? Any time soon, you suppose? Open-source servers currently
outnumber windows servers. By a wide margin. Proof? Look here:
http://www.netcraft.com/survey/

By all means, maddog, include some open-source supporters on your show.
Without us, the show will become laughably out of touch.

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