This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C22D10.6ADE5EC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello, I read the article about going back to wndows and subsequent = threads with great interest. My personal situation is as follows. I have = been expierimenting with Linux for about 2.5 years, have used linux = servers on a production basis for 2 years, configured and used RedHat = and Apache for web servers for about 1 year and used an Esmith server in = production for about 6 months. I have prefered Suse for the desktop and = RedHat for servers, but have also played with Mandrake on the desktop. = So while not a command line guru, I have a fair amount of experience.=20 It is only in the last month that I have used a linux desktop in day to = day production. It was quite a chore to get everything up and running = properly, but everything finlly works. The challange of this project was = that I was assigned tasks by my supervisor that had to be done period. = If I couldn't do them with linux, I wouldn't be permitted to use linux = at work at all.=20 In a 1 month period, I estimate that I spent at least 40 hours, some on = company time and some on my own time just getting linux to do everything = I needed it to do. On the face of it that is really 40 hours of non = production. Sounds bad, but on a positive note, during the last month I = have had zero system or program crashes. During the same time period, = there were 2 instances where everyone else in the office was down = because of windows related problems. That is 14 people,down the first = time for about 30 minutes, therefore about 7 wasted man hours and the = second time for about 2 hours, or about 28 man hours. The wasted man = hours for the windows users does not take into consideration individual = crashes and reboots so the windows total wasted hours are probably = greater. So in 1 month I personally had about 40 wasted man hours and the rest of = the office had between them about 35 wasted man hours collectivley and = some individual down time I can't account for. In the future though, I = see no more problems regarding unproductive time for me, but continued = problems for the windows users. For me, and it seems for others, based on what I have read, some of = Linux's greatest strenghts are also some of it's greatest weaknesses, = that is almost infinite configurability and the huge number of = nonstandard programs installed as part of most distribtions.=20 On a day to day production basis, I really think that less is more when = it comes to applications. That said, more is more when it comes to = virtual desktops. At my work we frequently have 4 telnet sessions going = at the same time, up to 10 browser windows, email, word processing and = spreadsheets. This become really hard to manage in windows, but with the = virtual desktops under the KDE desktop, this really becomes much more = manageable. Currently I amusing Open office, Kmail, Konqueror,Opera (yes 2 different = browsers) and Netterm, a windows telnet program that I run under wine, = but I have countless games, Koffice and who knows what else floating = around.=20 One of my collegues has expressed interest in using linux also, mainly = because of the multiple virtual desktops, The general manager has = expressed interest because I have pointed out that it really is more = effcent, given what we do to use the multiple desktops. The owner is = interested as well, from a cost and efficiency standpoint and also he is = a hadrcore unix guy (we have SCO servers and RedHat servers) who is sold = on Linux as a server but has never used it as a desktop. He, by the way = reformats his hard drive and reinstalls windows at least twice a year.=20 My next step is to get at least one other person in the office using = linux on the desktop, most likley using the K12LTSP but possibly an = independent installation. Here the challange will be to migrate all her = day to day data over to linux, but that is another story for another = day. Charlie ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C22D10.6ADE5EC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello, I read the article about going = back to=20 wndows  and subsequent threads with great interest. My personal = situation=20 is as follows. I have been expierimenting with Linux for about 2.5 = years, have=20 used linux servers on a production basis for 2 years, configured and = used RedHat=20 and Apache for web servers for about 1 year and used an Esmith = server in=20 production for about 6 months. I have prefered Suse for the desktop and = RedHat=20 for servers, but have also played with Mandrake on the desktop. So while = not a=20 command line guru, I have a fair amount of experience.
 
It is only in the last month that I = have used a=20 linux desktop in day to day production. It was quite a chore to get = everything=20 up and running properly, but everything finlly works. The challange of = this=20 project was that I was assigned tasks by my supervisor that had to be = done=20 period. If I couldn't do them with linux, I wouldn't be permitted to use = linux=20 at work at all.
 
In a 1 month period, I estimate that I = spent at=20 least 40 hours, some on company time and some on my own time just = getting linux=20 to do everything I needed it to do. On the face of it that is really 40 = hours of=20 non production. Sounds bad, but on a positive note, during the last = month I have=20 had zero system or program crashes. During the same time period, there = were 2=20 instances where everyone else in the office was down because of windows = related=20 problems. That is 14 people,down the first time for about 30 minutes, = therefore=20 about 7 wasted man hours and the second time for about 2 hours, or about = 28 man=20 hours. The wasted man hours for the windows users does not take into=20 consideration individual crashes and reboots so the windows total wasted = hours=20 are probably greater.
 
So in 1 month I personally had about 40 = wasted man=20 hours and the rest of the office had between them about 35 wasted man = hours=20 collectivley and some individual down time I can't account for. In the = future=20 though, I see no more problems regarding unproductive time for me, but = continued=20 problems for the windows users.
 
For me, and it seems for others, based = on what I=20 have read, some of Linux's greatest strenghts are also some =  of=20 it's greatest weaknesses, that is almost infinite configurability and = the huge=20 number of nonstandard programs installed as part of most distribtions.=20
 
On a day to day production basis, I = really think=20 that less is more when it comes to applications. That said, more is more = when it=20 comes to virtual desktops. At my work we frequently have 4 telnet = sessions going=20 at the same time, up to 10 browser windows, email, word processing and=20 spreadsheets. This become really hard to manage in windows, but with the = virtual=20 desktops under the KDE desktop, this really becomes much more=20 manageable.
 
Currently I amusing Open office, Kmail, = Konqueror,Opera (yes 2 different browsers) and Netterm, a windows telnet = program=20 that I run under wine, but I have countless games, Koffice and who knows = what=20 else floating around.
 
One of my collegues has expressed = interest in using=20 linux also, mainly because of the multiple virtual desktops, The general = manager=20 has expressed interest because I have pointed out that it really is more = effcent, given what we do to use the multiple desktops. The owner is = interested=20 as well, from a cost and efficiency standpoint and also he is a hadrcore = unix=20 guy (we have SCO servers and RedHat servers) who is sold on Linux as a = server=20 but has never used it as a desktop. He, by the way reformats his hard = drive and=20 reinstalls windows at least twice a year.
 
My next step is to get at least one = other person in=20 the office using linux on the desktop, most likley using the K12LTSP but = possibly an independent installation. Here the challange will be to = migrate all=20 her day to day data over to linux, but that is another story for another = day.
 
Charlie
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