Re: Evaluating Linux: Reality vs Hype

[Adam Tauno Williams <adam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>His points and your rebuttals are both well taken. I have to especially
>agree with what you say about troubleshooting. It is my contention that
>a stock Linux install has a command for nearly anything you need to do
>as far as troubleshooting (at least point you in the right direction).
>It's just a matter of knowing where it's at and how to use it. :) 

As is the case with any NOS.

>As to the choice of distributions, I look at it this way: when in Rome,
>do as the Romans do. If the senior members of the LUG nearby use a
>certain distro and you are new to Linux and going to need help, it might
>be a good idea to pick what they are using. There will come a day when
>leaving Rome and using a different distro isn't so daunting because the
>principles have been ingrained.

It also helps to stick with a distribution that vendors of commercial producst
(Informix, Oracle, SAP, IBM, Lotus, etc...) certify their products for.

><rant>
>"Well trained Linux experts" is one of those things that gets me. This
>is where corporate America expects to just send their people off for
>training and POOF! they have an in-house expert. Ala NT, Novell, A+,
>etc. That is not the case with Linux. Actually, it's not the case with
>other NOS certifications either, as there are many a paper-CNE,
>paper-MCSE, etc. 

In part I think this has to do with the utter desperation of alot of places I
visit to find someone to fill techincal slots,  not neccesarily because the
cert. courses aren't good.  The intense demand has simply lowered the bar.

>Classes and certifications are coming along for Linux,
>and I think it's just a matter of time before they catch up to the
>perceived stature of the other industry certifications. For many IT

I'm still not convinced what is so diffrent from a generic UNIX cert and a Linux
cert (or say a RedHat cert).  To me it raises some questions about the integrity
of the certification companies.  I have a "Unix Administration" certificate, 
taught on Linux, SCO, and HP-UX, (and I was weaned on AIX), and almost
everything I was taught has proven to be portable. Show me an HP-UX or AIX
admin, and I'll show you someone who will sleep through a Linux course.

>managers, the certification paper has become at least if not more
>valuable than a degree. However, certification does not automatically
>qualify a person. That pesky thing called experience with all of its
>triumphs and scars is very important. :)
></rant>

The most important skill that comes with experience is developing a sense of
where to go for information.

>My favorite paragraph is this one:
>"A lot of the attention Linux has received in the last few years is
>based less on what Linux is and more on what Linux is not. Quite simply,
>Linux is not Microsoft. In fact, Linux might adequately be termed the
>antitheses of Microsoft."
>This is so true! Nearly every review of Linux in print intended for the
>non-Linux reader is like this. If it's a favorable review, it's anti-M$.
>("Windows sucks! You can do it better with Linux for free!") If it's a
>less than favorable review, it's pro-M$. ("Linux sucks! You can do it
>better with WinGadget!")

I throw this in with the pervasivly low quality of journalism/reporting. 
Debating ancedotes instead of technical merit.  Most Infoworld-ish authors read
like they write about computers and such full-time, and never actually USE them
to accomplish something.

>More than ever, I am excited about the future of Linux not only in the
>server arena (it's already here and growing well), but also on the
>desktop. 

I don't think that Linux will take "the desktop" as it is today.  I think
ubiquitous networking of darn-near-everything and the concept of the remote
desktop (ala LTSP) will eventually make it the "dominant" OS.  Multi-tiered
architectures are more scalable, flexible, and cost effective then the current
(still) client-server model.  Of course this depends upon the presumption that
home users don't actually want to own, upgrade, and otherwise manage a
computer,  they just want to use one.

>I can see a day coming when the M$ model for licensing is just
>too bloated for companies and individuals alike. There again, Linux is
>not Microsoft. I am especially intrigued by this as I work for a school
>system. While ours is funded well enough to renew the licensing
>agreements each year for certain network operating systems, I can see a
>day coming when it may not be. Frankly, I think the cost of such
>renewals will one day be looked at as an irresponsible use of public
>funds in larger, publicly funded organizations like the schools.
 
It seems as though several foreign (to us:) governments and school systems have
already reached that conclusion.  The Mexican schools system has thousands of RH
workstations.

>Just my $.02. :)

Here's by $.02, now we're even!

Systems and Network Administrator
Morrison Industries
1825 Monroe Ave NW.
Grand Rapids, MI. 49505