linuxworld

Issue #44

Last Update March 2, 2006

Technology LinuxWorld by David Katz Based on the crowds, the excitement, and the marketing and technological offerings at LinuxWorld 2004 at the Javits Center in January, Linux has come of age. No longer a techie enthusiasm, The Linux operating system is now mainstream.

Industry powers such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Novel all had booths and announcements. Even Microsoft was an exhibitor, indicating that its view of the competition Linux provides has shifted from disdain to fear. Many of the technical sessions were aimed at IT executives, corporate and line managers responsible for Information Technology budgets and service goals within their organizations.

The news about Linux is exciting at both ends of the size spectrum. At the upper end of computing power, Linux now supports multiprocessor, 64-bit systems, providing super-compute capabilities, as well as computer clustering, which links many smaller computers into a virtual supercomputer. Indeed, IBM now claims that its Linux-based product line is completely scalable, from desktop to supercomputer, using its power-PC chip and mainframes. This means that a company's computing capability can grow seamlessly and painlessly by upgrading hardware without disruptive changes to software, a capability Microsoft does not possess.

At the low end, Linux on the desktop has become a reality. Home and office systems can now be bought with Linux pre-installed. Home systems come with networking wizards for internet connections, an office suite (usually including Open Office.org, the free package that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program, all able to read and write Microsoft Office Word, Excel and Power Point formats. Openoffice.org is far easier to learn than Microsoft Office, while providing superior functionality for the normal user. In addition, programs for CD burning, image processing and multimedia playback are often provided as part of the standard package.

For the office user, enterprise editions of desktop Linux provide all that is given to the home user, plus groupware: programs that allow the calendar-sharing and document collaboration that business users have become used to. A wide selection remote maintenance tools allow desktop and network software to be installed and upgraded from a central location. LinuxWorld exhibitors also showed that there is no shortage of Linux tools to secure email, network access and the desktop from spammers and viruses.

For those home and office users that have Windows programs that they can't do without, including MS Office, ACCESS, Adobe Photoshop, Quicken and Quick-Books, CodeWeaver’s Crossover Office is usually provided. This optimized version of Wine, the Linux Windows emulator, runs these and many other Windows programs flawlessly.

Plug and play problems still exist with many USB devices that have no Linux drivers, but many of these problems will disappear with the release of the Linux 2.6 kernel, soon to be available as a standard release.

In sum, Linux is a better, more stable and more secure operating system than Windows, it is more scalable, and it is free. With the growing number of applications available on Linux, the ability to run many Windows programs in emulation mode, and the astounding ability to run on anything from PCs to mainframes to supercomputers, Linux has become a solid contender for home and corporate technology primacy.