Linux at Work - Long
Charlie Bullen
plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
Tue, 16 Jul 2002 21:33:25 -0700
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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
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Charlie</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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