Les Mikesell wrote:
On Tue, 2005-02-15 at 16:14, Hodgins Family wrote:
I'd like to refocus this thread by posing a question to the OP:
Many universities have computing departments that have been using *nixes
for decades (before Microsoft and Apple were popular). How does the OP
propose to do what these departments have been unable to do? I mean,
while it is a commendable idea to bring Linux to university staff (it
is free, customizable, generally secure etc), how will you propose to
convince the professors to switch from their "pet platforms"?
It's really all about applications. Those decades-old unix versions
had text mode apps that were great for server-side and automated
work but not something you'd like to use interactively. Now there
are decent fonts, nice GUI features and most of the apps that
anyone would need available for Linux. Some people may have
already given up their choices by allowing their own data to
be stored in proprietary formats that require specific programs
to access, but anyone starting from scratch should find everything
they need on Linux.
You make good points, Les. I think there is another basic hurdle Linux
must clear before wide spread use is realized in a university
environment or elsewhere. That hurdle is user friendliness (read
operates like an automobile, i.e. - the user can turn the key, put it in
gear, step on the gas and go without having to know anything at all
about what is going on under the hood) and independence in use
comparable to that made available by a standalone desktop running
DOS/Windows plus apps.
