Linux to Desktop still takes time _unix Linux

Because of its price, flexibility, and stability advantages, Linux software has found many users in IT departments or research institutions. Today, companies such as Novell, Red hat and Sun are advocating Linux to the desktop, but the market is still dominated by Microsoft Windows, although it can be seen as a chance for Linux, but few end users are willing to give up systems that have been used. It's like you're trying to convince a meat eater to be as difficult, though you have many reasons, such as health benefits.

But everyone seems to be very disgusted with Microsoft's things: Each upgrade price is very expensive, almost every month to play a patch, the next area of products Longhorn in the technology has a great change in compatibility and so on, making Microsoft a target. So there is the call to turn to Linux.

captures these "vices" of Windows systems, and some companies are busy rolling out Linux systems for desktop applications. This spring, Red hat launched a Linux based desktop package and plans to further upgrade its security next year. Novell, who acquired the SUSE Linux AG and Linux desktop software developer Ximian last year, is planning to launch its own PC Linux version by the end of the year. Sun Microsystems, which has always been a high-end product, has also started selling desktop software to company users this year, priced at $100 per user, and Wal-Mart has become its trademark customer, and Sun also sells Linux based home computers to home users on its E-commerce site. Other small companies, including Lindows (hence the name has been sued by Microsoft), Turbolinux and so on, have targeted the PC.

Challenge

The biggest challenge is how to help users realize that there are other options for desktop apps, "says Mike Ferris, marketing manager at Red hat. But it takes time and opportunity.

Red Hat and Novell believe that Linux is well applied in the data center, and that with a more secure version in the future, it will be a leading advantage in PC applications, as many PC users have been plagued by virus and system paralysis. Sun thinks Linux is one of the most stable operating systems, and it can run all the software from back office to desktop applications.

According to IDC, Microsoft Windows occupies 94% of the PC operating system in 2002, while Linux accounts for 2.9% of the 2.8%;apple company's Mac OS. By 2006, IDC predicts that Linux will double its market share.

But even so, the share is still small. The main reason for this is that desktop Linux lacks the brand awareness of Windows, user applications, and the lack of compatibility with conventional software that is currently used daily by PC users. Ease of use is probably the biggest obstacle to Linux moving to the desktop. "If Linux doesn't solve the problem of application friendliness, never expect to knock on desktop apps," says one PC user.

Cost

In addition, the cost of switching from Windows to Linux is not low. While no one doubts that the operating system itself is not expensive or even free, its application is not cheap at all. HP launched its first Linux notebook last month, with Linux packages, a professional CD, DVD drives, and wireless networks priced at $1450, while the same hardware configuration and software using Windows XP only cost US $50. Linux apps and services aren't cheap, so what do these companies expect to survive? The start price of Red hat's desktop application package is 2500 dollars and supports 10 users, including one months of phone support and one year of online support.

"The cost of leaving windows is too high," said McCormick CIO Jeryl Wolfe, a condiment manufacturer with an annual turnover of 2.3 billion dollars. "Replacing Windows with Linux on the desktop is a huge challenge for our users." "For most non-IT companies, migrating to Linux is very difficult." The reason is that these companies do not have too many IT support staff, and the major computer users themselves do not understand the technology.

Microsoft certainly doesn't want to lose territory, and Microsoft has a strategy for those who want to save money and turn to Linux. August, the low price of Windows XP Starter Edition launched, and will be in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other land sales. It is understood that the price is much lower than the Windows XP Professional, the latter in the United States each set price is 300 dollars.

customer base

Bill Claybrook, president of the New River market research firm, believes that all users who migrate to Linux on the desktop level are predictable and will be primarily technical, engineering, and designer: Understanding the technology and no longer relying on windows. But he thinks Linux also has a chance, but it depends on Longhorn's progress. Microsoft is committed to joining a key technology in Longhorn: Windows file System, which allows PC users to find files more easily without having to open the File Management folder layer by layer. But it also makes it possible for the operating system to be released in 2006 years.

And even if it can be published at that time, it is estimated that the price will be higher. And what Microsoft's so-called new technology is, will not create a new and more big loophole is also unknown. In this time period, enterprise users who want to upgrade their PC clients may consider choosing Linux. But no doubt, Claybrook says, the view that Linux has taken off on desktop applications has been exaggerated.

But Linux is becoming more and more widely used in servers, computing centers and workstations, which in turn affects desktop applications. "All companies that have Linux deployed on the server will consider whether they can deploy it on the desktop side," said Jeffrey Wade, HP's Linux marketing commissioner.

Last year, HP sold a total of $2.5 billion of linux-based PCs, with no quarterly sales of 400,000 PCs pre-installed with Linux, mostly in Asia. But Wade does not believe Linux can occupy a 3% per cent share of the PC market in a short time. The company has not even started to promote its new Linux notebooks.

Dell's strategy is similar to HP's, and the world's first PC manufacturer provides workstations and servers pre-installed with Red Hat Linux, but is not installed on PCs, but you can customize the PC with Linux.

IBM, also a big player in enterprise-class Linux, has no confidence in the application of this open source system to PCs. But IBM is very optimistic about the application of Linux on workstations, which is mainly used in the design of automobiles and life sciences. June, IBM United Intel launched a Linux notebook, it is called "mobile workers." It is an electrical engineer, not an ordinary user.

Visible, if Novell, Red hat and other companies really want to grab more of their share from Microsoft, it will take a long time, two is a lot of work to do, and three is to form a larger industry alliance. (Responsible editor: Liu Yanzhi)