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Looking into the future of Linux
by Tom Adelstein (Oct. 13, 2004)


Looking into the future of Linux

by Tom Adelstein


Advances in desktop Linux are developing along two trend lines -- one for adoption and the other for innovation. The rate of adoption for Linux shows steady growth at a constant rate. However, technological advances can have an unpredictable impact on adoption -- and cause exponential growth.

Analysts agree on the current rate of adoption within the enterprise and among consumers and predict a minor dent in market share. Some analysts forecast that now that Linux has surpassed Apple's market share, it will take a six percent share over the next two years. Given conventional wisdom, those predictions seem reasonable.

(Click for larger view of the screenshot)

The disruptive nature of technological innovation throws these estimates out the window. While analysts can reliably make predictions from trade shows and vendor presentations, they are merely reporting proprietary trends in a closed environment. Taking into account open development projects bourne out of IBM, HP, Sun and the community, the world of open source quickly can take on a different hue.

Among the many innovations currently evolving in the GNU/Linux space, significant advances in interoperability among platforms such a single logon to Active Directory and even applications as mail and calendaring applications such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange interoperate with Linux. File managers can now visually detect Windows and UNIX hosts on a network. Device management to enhance hardware driver support, too, allows Linux to become a more supportive hardware platform than rivals.

Another key area of advancement in open source is visual. As digital convergence comes to fruition, the move toward an open environment for entertainment took a major leap when Sun Microsystems released Project Looking Glass under the GPL. The Santa Clara-based company's three-dimensional desktop environment has received great praise and attention for modernizing the look of the desktop.

In just a few short weeks, Project Looking Glass (lg3d) went from a fascinating trade show demo to something developers could bring to mass consumption.

Today, the open source project runs on Fedora, Red Hat, SuSE and Sun's Java Desktop System. It works in 64 bit and 32 bit environments. Time to market is on a fast track as new developers have migrated to the project.

One of the major contributors and proponents of Project Looking Glass, Ricardo Wagemaker of GCCLinux.com, supports its use in manufacturing, medicine and biometrics, however his world revolves around entertainment. His goal is to make Linux the quintessential entertainment platform from gaming to advanced viewing.

Tom Adelstein caught up with Ricardo to discuss his views, and news about the project . . .


Read the interview



(Click here for further information)


Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

 



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