[luau] Proposed LTSP Server Config

[Dwight]

Allow me to step up on my soapbox for a minute...

<rant>

To build any world-class business (or industry, for that matter) Honolulu
requires a wide, deep pool of skilled applicants to draw from.  I fail to
see how Honolulu can become the "Linux capital of the world" when our public
high schools are seriously underfunded and UH is more concerned with
athletics than academics (i.e., June Jones and his $800K salary).

The intellectual infrastructure required to produce skilled workers is sadly
lacking in Honolulu.  There is no way we can compete with the likes of China
or India, both of which have thousands of software/hardware engineers
graduating each year from state-run/state-sponsored educational
institutions.

Importing workers would be difficult at best.  We already have brain-drain
to the mainland - the cost of living here is too high for most people
(including those who return or relocate from the mainland) - how do we fix
that?

There are no incentives for business to relocate their operations to
Honolulu, in fact, you already mentioned your "failed attempts to interest"
some clients.  The governor is already eyeing the various tax breaks
available for technology with thoughts of gutting it completely...thereby
reducing their effectiveness.

To me, it sounds like Linux has become the current band-wagon or
buzzword...I can recall recently when "call centers" were the band-wagon of
the day.  I think you can plainly see that the call center boom hasn't
materialized as promised.

</rant>

Now, I'm not saying that it's not possible for Honolulu to become the "Linux
capital of the world;" I'm just saying that it's highly unlikely.
Especially with the way things are looking here, technology-wise.

Dwight...


-----Original Message-----
From: luau-admin at videl.ics.hawaii.edu
[mailto:luau-admin at videl.ics.hawaii.edu]On Behalf Of Hawaii Linux
Institute
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 8:31 AM
To: luau at videl.ics.hawaii.edu
Subject: Re: [luau] Proposed LTSP Server Config


Wow, this is EXCITING!  (I apoligize for not trimming the quoted
comments; the information contained in these two threads was simply too
valuable.)

Yesterday, I had breakfast with Honolulu city councilman Rod Tam, who
chairs the city council's business development committee.  He indicated
that he will push a proposal aimed at making Honolulu the "Linux capital
of the world" (as part of the multi-billion-dollar Kaka'ako Waterfront
development project).  Don't laugh at this idea.  Let's face it, what
other options do we have?

Rod and I have been talking about "growing" Linux in Hawaii for quite
some time, since when he was chairman of Hawaii Senate's business
development committee.  I am an outside legal counsel to the national
research laboratories of Taiwan, which, in addition to its $500M annual
R&D budget, also serves as the incubator of Taiwan's high tech industry.
  After many failed attempts to interest some of my clients to set up
their manufacturing plants here (now you can really laugh at this idea),
it becomes patently clear that the kind of high-tech industry that has
any chance of growing roots--and creating jobs--on our islands must be
software-based, and it must also involve internet and services.  And
when you mix the three ingredients--software, internet, and service,
they magically turn into a 5-letter word: Linux.

There is also another urgent reason to consider Linux.  Microsoft
Windows has become inherently insecure.  I am not talking about virus,
worms, or whathaveyou--most sysadms think they can handle these problem
(until it gets out of control, of course).  The problem is that, in
order to continue to sell Windows to the Chinese government, Bill Gates
has agreed to open Windows' source code to the Chinese government.
While most Americans, especially those in Hawaii, don't think about the
dire consequences, most major private Chinese have been avoiding Windows
like plague.  Of course there are other articulable reasons, but I have
noticed that many giant financial institutions such as Fidelity, Charles
Schwab, CitiCorp, First Boston, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, etc., have
recently switched to Linux.  Coincidence?  While this move can be
attributed to their UNIX roots, many actually had been talking about
switching to Windows servers.

However, in order to have any chance of our city (and eventually the
state) adopting Linux, there must be application tools that can do the
chores that are now being done with Microsoft Office and WordPerfect.
The fact that OOo can now be loaded in less than 10 seconds is certainly
a big plus.  But whether we can quickly develop a reliable user
experience database (for OOo) and compile a list of functional
equivalants, holds the key to the next step.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Warren.


Wayne