Precautions for companies to switch to the Linux platform

Source: Internet
Author: User
Tags adobe pagemaker
Article title: Notes for companies to switch to the Linux platform. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

The economic crisis is on the one hand that everyone is tightening their belts to save money, and Microsoft has also launched a "black screen event ". Many companies now consider migrating the platform to Linux for reasons such as downgrading. in my previous articles, I have told you about red-flag Linux and what is Ubuntu? Ubuntu download | Ubuntu tup installation. Although many people think that Linux is better than Windows, you should consider it carefully before replacing the platform. Otherwise, you may find that you have to go back to the original platform. if you want to migrate data to the Linux platform, pay attention to the following ten questions:

1. Can private and key programs run on the new platform?

The first thing that must be considered for platform migration is: Yes, most software may have similar programs available on the Linux platform. For example, photoshop can be replaced by Gimp, and Adobe Pagemaker can be replaced by Scribus. However, some specific software does not have a corresponding cross-platform version on the Linux platform. in this case, you have to use Wine or virtual machines to run programs on windows. However, this will take a lot of time and effort, and sometimes it will not be very stable, especially when using Wine.

If you have a key program specifically developed for windows, it is best not to migrate the platform so that these software can be used normally. of course, if these key software is WEB-based, so you can perform migration, because Firefox can achieve the same effect as IE.

2. Which desktop environment do you plan to use?

For windows and Mac OS X, the desktop is a great choice, but the selection of a large number of Linux versions is wider. If you choose a wrong desktop environment, your productivity may be much lower, but it is not difficult to choose the right desktop.

If your users used to use Mac OS X, you 'd better choose Gnome. if you used to use XP before, you 'd better choose KDE 3. 5. X; if you are used to Vista before, the best choice is KDE4. X. Linux desktop environment customization can surpass windows and Mac OS X. You can use your imagination to customize a special desktop environment for your company. However, based on this, you must first thoroughly count which desktop environment users prefer to use.

3. Is your department competent for this platform?

Migration to the Linux platform may cause the biggest problem: if no additional training is required, employees may not change their habits as the platform changes. If an employee is familiar with windows, it does not mean that he can manage Linux systems and networks well. If you plan to migrate the platform, first understand the knowledge of employees about the new operating system. If they do not know much about it, they will encounter a lot of trouble both during migration and after migration. We certainly want our employees to be proficient in all technologies, but the reality is that most IT experts are only proficient in their own research fields. But for most IT administrators, using Linux is certainly not difficult.

4. Does your company benefit from Windows?

Many companies and organizations do not immediately see the benefits of using the windows system. For example, many universities provide a lot of software for students, similar to Visual Studio and Ofiice, which are deployed on the computer of the school. If the platform is migrated, the software will be scrapped and the loss will be huge. Of course, if you use Linux, you will get free software support, which can save a lot of money.

5. Do employees use many portable media devices?

Linux has greatly improved support for multimedia devices, but it is still not as convenient as windows. Many new Linux releases are doing well, and the installation and use of removable disks are simple. these processes are fully automated. If many employees use removable disks, they have to select a release that supports these devices, such as Mandriva.

6. Does your hardware support the new platform?

In general, this is no longer a problem, but it is a problem for companies that use cheap hardware to save costs. The biggest problem in most cases is the integrated video card. although it is not a problem to upgrade the video card, if the company has too many machines and the video card is upgraded to migrate the system, the cost is certainly not low.

In addition, deploying a laptop is also a huge obstacle. Can I use a wireless network card? Can sound card and video cards work normally? Fortunately, Linux can use LiveCD. you can use it to test whether your hardware supports the corresponding system.

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