lxworld05

Issue #44

Last Update March 2, 2006

Technology LinuxWorld 2005 by David Katz Linux continues to move rapidly toward World Domination. Originally the sardonic motto of a computer operating system of interest only to hobbyists and techies, World Domination is beginning to seem like a realistic goal. As evidence of this, LinuxWorld this year was crammed with booths and sessions offering Windows-to-Linux migration products and services, as well as products that allow IT managers to support Linux desktops and servers remotely, and products that speed and coordinate development of Linux application software. In addition, OpenOffice.org, purveyor of the greatest challenge to Microsoft Office since Word Perfect lost ground, has filled in its office suite with a built in database manager that integrates with the rest of the suite and allows ACCESS-like functionality. MySQL, the heavy-duty free open-source database package, also had announcements that strengthen the product for large databases and mission-critical applications.

More special-purpose Linux distributions are also hitting the market. Linux is a major player as an embedded operating system; that is, the control program behind smart phones, internet-connectible devices, video and music systems and other appliances where the user is not aware of or concerned with the fact that his toaster is now a computer. Another class of special purpose Linux is portable Linux, which allows you to sit down at any computer and boot Linux from a CD or flash memory device (no install required), do your work, save your results and then depart, leaving the machine you used unchanged. If set up right, you can carry your own personal Linux system, complete with preferred settings, with you when you travel, without the bother of lugging a laptop.

Desktop migration from Windows to Linux, however, was the big topic. Several strategies for doing this were identified: Move people from proprietary software to open source software under windows, then switch operating systems; move people to Linux but provide access to Windows software, either through connection to a Windows server or through an emulator such as Wine, Crossover Office or Win4Lin; or go cold turkey and switch both operating system and application software at the same time. Win4Lin has announced a terminal server that deploys Windows applications to thin clients.

The choice of method obviously depends on how computers are being used within the organization, how much time and money is available for training, and the extent to which proprietary and replaceable Windows-based software is critical to the company's functioning. For most people who use Word, Excel and PowerPoint, the transition to OpenOffice.org is easy, and most macros transfer well, but power users who have complicated Visual Basic functions or pivot tables embedded in their work will have some difficulty in porting the Word and Excel work. This problem is currently being addressed, but solutions are not yet in place.

MySQL, in its latest release, has added a stored procedure language compatible with the ANSI standard, as used in IBM's DB2 database product. An embedded server will also be available; this will allow an applications vendor to offer a completely integrated product, with the database management tools residing inside the application, rather than as an external service. OpenOffice.org will have an embedded MySQL.

Linux alternatives to Microsoft Exchange are also aiding in the quest for World Domination. Exchange is the product that ties organizations together by managing email, providing for sharable calendaring and task lists, and for contact management. Many companies would be reluctant to make the desktop transition unless Exchange functionality were available to its desktop users. At least a half-dozen companies, including IBM and Novell, provide Linux products that give most or all of the functions found in Exchange. An open source group is also working on Open Exchange, a Linux lookalike.

Linux is getting easier to use, has more and more software (free and proprietary) available, and is more and more encountered in the business world and as the engine that runs techie appliances. World Domination is near.