The Triangle

Issue date: 4/29/05 Section: Sci-Tech

Media Credit: The Triangle

In the course of a decade, Linux has developed from a small hobby operating system to a massive giant. Linux has been embraced by many for just about as many diverse reasons. Computer enthusiasts have been the oldest supporters of Linux, using the constantly developing OS as a desktop workstation. Additionally, Linux can be seen in the embedded market through its use in routers, TiVo devices, VoIP phones, and other types of devices. Linux has also been accepted by many large corporations as their primary server operating system. In order to grow, however, Linux developers must target the typical home computer user as well as the typical corporate desktop.

For years Linux has been accepted by corporations as a server operating system, but developers still must do much more to convince corporations that Linux is a viable alternative for the corporate desktop as well. Fortunately for the Linux community, the targeting of the corporate world has many benefits. Corporate desktops demand much less than personal desktops, meaning that resources need not be spread across many projects. Instead, developers will only need to focus attention on a few large integral applications that are necessary for the majority of corporate desktops.

Second, nearly all applications developed for the corporate desktops will find use on personal desktops. Applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, e-mail clients, web browsers, and video conferencing software can find use both at the workplace and at home. Once these features are completed, it will be much easier to convince corporations to switch their desktop to a more open, standards driven platform from the currently dominating single developer.

Unfortunately, many of the applications necessary for the corporate desktop have been largely neglected by developers mostly because of the large scale these projects as well as the overall lack of bleeding edge technology required to implement these. The majority of these unpaid developers prefer to create what they want, either because it is interesting or useful to them, rather than write a mundane desktop application.

Recently, however, many companies have noticed the lack of Linux in the corporate desktop market and have decided to coerce some developers to work on these projects full time. For example, Novell, a long time operating system developer and Microsoft partner, has hired many programmers to work on their open source desktop applications such as their e-mail client Evolution. Evolution is a fully functional application that is able to interface with Microsoft Exchange Servers to get mail, contacts, and calendars, for example. Other smaller, but still useful programs Novell is working on for the corporate desktop include iFolder and Beagle. iFolder is an application that allows for the easy synchronization of files using a graphical interface. Beagle is an application that allows users to search within text documents, PDF files, instant messenger logs, and more rather than for file names as traditional searches were performed.

Media Credit: http://www.novell.com A screenshot of Novell corporate desktop, an incentive to make companies Linux users.

Other companies that have turned attention towards corporate Linux include Red Hat and IBM. Both companies have donated large amounts of resources to Linux developers such as OpenOffice.org and the Mozilla Foundation. Both foundations create essential products for the Linux desktop. OpenOffice.org creates a major open source office suite of the same name. OpenOffice.org aims to reach full compatibility with Microsoft Office and eventually surpass it with its open standards for file formats. The Mozilla Foundation creates one of the current flagship products of open source, Mozilla Firefox. Firefox meets most is not all of the requirements of corporate browsing by providing a secure browser that makes full use of current internet standards.

Even though Linux is now much more suited for the corporate desktop, not many companies have made the switch. Just this past summer Novell itself decided to make the switch to Linux on all of its 6,000 computers using its own Novell Linux Desktop. The company's target, to convert 50% by last October, was met and its current goal is 80% by year's end. Novell reported savings of $900,000 in Microsoft Windows and Office licensing fees in last year alone.

As it stands now, Linux is not fit to take over the corporate desktop. OpenOffice.org needs better support to read and write to the many different proprietary Microsoft Office formats. Evolution needs better support for Outlook features such as scheduling and synchronization with Pocket PCs. As Novell and the other companies perfect Linux for the corporate desktop, it will clear out the major obstacles for such a large implementation. This will pave the road for many other large companies hoping to save a large amount of money make the switch to Linux.



Kevin Lynch is a sophomore in computer engineering.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools