Ubuntu Is Showing the Desktop of the Future
Addendum 6/30/06: Long time Mac guru, Mark Pilgrim (Dive into Python author) has made the switch to Ubuntu, and has provided his list of essential Linux software for his Ubuntu system.
Addendum 7/05/06: Terrific source list generator for Ubuntu. Use with common sense.
Julian Robichaux has made some Ubuntu recommendations, and I thought I would add to his list, and explain why I think Ubuntu is important for the IBM/Lotus community of professionals.
The venerable Linux.com has an article on “Ten tips for new Ubuntu users” which is surprisingly useful. As someone who is neither a Linux newbie, nor a pony-tailed guru, I find most of these top-ten lists weak in content and rich in rhetoric—not so with Linux.com. These recommendations, coupled with Automatix and EasyUbuntu, make Ubuntu a real joy to use.
Now, why do I use Ubuntu Linux, and how do I see it as an important trend for IBM/Lotus? Well, Linux has had a solid piece of Domino mindshare since R5, but that is only for the server back-end. It has been so successful, that Linux is second only to Windows for Domino deployment.
The client side for Lotus on Linux has been much, much slower to gather either credibility or marketshare. Finally, though, the client Linux distributions are making headway for mainstream adoption. The leader of the pack is Ubuntu, a relative upstart (even it is based on Debian, a core Linux distribution) who has upset Mandriva, RedHat, and SuSE as it has charmed everyone with its ease of installation and software packages.
Of course, I fit the profile for Early Adopter with technology, and that's a good enough reason to be working with client Linux. I expect it to eventually gain a significant percentage of general-purpose desktop clients (the key word being “eventually”). I've used many, many different releases of Linux, and I've never found a reason to stick with one until Ubuntu.
I think the answer to why I use Ubuntu is that all my major concerns have been addressed with its pricing structure, security, incredibly active support community, and available open-source software. It's not ready, today, for wide-spread desktop replacements, but it's getting close. Remember what it was like to see the Mozilla browser ripen into Firefox? Yeah, well, that's what I'm talking about.
What's big business think about all the fuss over Ubuntu? Wall Street Journal isn't impressed, but Inc.com sees Ubuntu as an alternative to investing in Microsoft's Vista:
But don't kid yourself. That sort of jump wouldn't be without its trials and tribulations. The biggest potential hurdle: If you're reliant on enterprisewide software such as a customer-relationship management system, you might have trouble getting it to run on Linux PCs and you'd probably have to replace it with a Linux-friendly product.
That's a conversation to have with your top tech person, of course. But if he or she pales at the mention of Linux and tries to get you to dismiss it out of hand without clear reasons, you may want to consider the possibility that it's not just your operating system that might need replacing.
Probably the most unexpected source of Ubuntu adulation has come from the Mac corner. Has there every been a more deep-seated assemblage of vendor loyalists that Mac users? Stephen O'Grady, of RedMonk, notes that while it doesn't signal a tipping point for Ubuntu credence, when Mac users move to Ubuntu it does further reveal its appeal.
Of course, IBM continues to consider its options with Linux:
Jim Elliott, Linux advocate for IBM Canada, said Ubuntu has seen a huge spike in interest and that if it and Xandros continue to grow, IBM would increase its support.
Which brings me back to why I'm working with Ubuntu as desktop Linux—because I can. With Hannover coming, and the transition of Lotus development tools into Eclipse, I expect to be spending more time being OS agnostic, and being less concerned about weighing the valuation of a single vendor model.
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