Enterprise Linux Desktop comparison: UbuntuVSWindows

Source: Internet
Author: User
In the past ten years, Linux fans predicted that the year was the year of Linux Desktop & rdquo ;. This was a lofty goal of Microsoft's enterprise era, but the times are changing. Linux has become a powerful competitor in the smartphone and cloud computing markets, which has caught Microsoft off guard. More importantly, Google, IBM, RedHat, Facebook, and Netflix have invested heavily in Linux innovation. Now, as the technical budget is reduced and Microsoft License fees keep rising, IT is

In the past decade, Linux fans predicted the year as "Linux Desktop year ". This was a lofty goal of Microsoft's enterprise era, but the times are changing. Linux has become a powerful competitor in the smartphone and cloud computing markets, which has caught Microsoft off guard. More importantly, Google, IBM, RedHat, Facebook, and Netflix have invested heavily in Linux innovation.

Now, with the reduction of the technical budget and rising Microsoft License fees, IT is time to seriously consider replacing Windows with Linux Desktop deployment. This opportunity is even better: Windows 8.1 has just been released, and the latest Ubuntu 13.10 has just been released. Windows XP has only five months of technical support, so enterprises should consider new deployment options. Ubuntu may be the desktop OS the company wants. Precautions for deploying Linux desktops together, including training and support, and potential complications.

As we all know, Ubuntu is not as popular as before in the open-source community, because the Ubuntu creator Canonical has done some unsatisfactory actions, including transferring the Display Manager-basic components of the Linux graphic interface-to the internal development of Mir rather than Wayland. However, Ubuntu is still fully open-source and provides the simplest Linux release or even Windows installation. Canonical also provides paid support, which may be very demanding in the enterprise environment.

There is always a debate about switching to a new desktop interface that the end user will need to retrain. The training required for the new Windows 8.1 interface is transferred to the Linux system. Ubuntu's Unity desktop has evolved into a user-friendly interface, which is easier for end users than Windws 8.1.

For example, you can use the user to close the operating system for comparison. For all recent Ubuntu versions, you only need to click on the top right corner of the screen to start and switch the host. Click the menu, and then click shut down. In Windows 8.1, You need to right-click the start button and click Close after the menu appears. Click to close the machine. This is a huge improvement for Windows 8, but it is obviously not attractive to directly display icons on the screen.

End-user application training is now a relatively complex task thanks to many popular open-source applications of the Windows version. Users may already be familiar with Firefox, LibreOffice, Pidgin, and VLC Media players on Windows. Commercial applications are used for business purposes, such as Skype and Adobe Acrobat. The functions are the same as those for Windows applications. Cloud computing-based applications, such as Google Drive or Microsoft Office 365, also run well on Ubuntu.

Legacy Windows applications can be accessed through familiar Citrix clients or open-source RDP clients. Companies can also use open-source virtualization products such as VirtualBox to run legacy Windows applications that are hard to handle.

In terms of support, many technical staff should know that early Linux had very limited hardware support. It's not that easy now.

Linux hardware support is generally better than the latest version of Windows. Many hardware vendors have been reducing their support for new versions of Windows drivers. The open-source drivers in Linux have been keeping up to date in the developer community, so many old-fashioned hardware fully supports the latest Ubuntu version. In addition, Ubuntu's low system requirements will extend the company's hardware life.

Although deploying a Linux desktop has many advantages, enterprises should consider some potential difficulties. Although many technical staff have used or are in the Vision of learning new skills to use Linux, there will also be technical staff who spend a lot of time developing a comfortable Windows Management Program and don't like changes.

Compensation is a way to solve this potential problem. The salary for Linux skill jobs is nearly doubled by other professional technicians.

Companies with strict compliance requirements may have difficulty switching to Linux. For example, HIPAA needs to be encrypted in compliance with FIPS-140-2 standards. Most open-source encryption projects do not have sponsors asking them to pass NIST certification to meet this requirement. Open source may actually be safer than proprietary software because many people have modified the source code.

Enterprises need to understand their compliance requirements and develop IT employee training plans before deciding to make a full switch. But in general, Ubuntu Linux has grown into a feasible option to replace the enterprise proprietary operating system. Companies that implement Linux Desktop deployment will benefit from savings in license fees. Next year may end with "Linux Desktop year ."

Recommended reading:

 

Hadoop Eclipse plug-in compilation and installation 1.2.0 http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/87428.htm

 

Hadoop plug-in compilation http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-04/83295.htm in Eclipse

Hadoop 1.2.1 compile Eclipse plugin http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-10/91666.htm

Ubuntu 13.10 install JDK, Eclipse for C/C ++ (solve global menu problem) http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-11/92305.htm

Download, install, and configure Ubuntu 13.10Page http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-10/91564.htm

Ubuntu 13.10 text tutorial on hard drive installation in Windows 7See http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-10/91565.htm

For more information about Ubuntu, see Ubuntu special page http://www.linuxidc.com/topicnews.aspx? Tid = 2

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