| Taking the Other Way In |
by Sunil Patel (February 2003)
The amount of information, articles, news, discussions and arguments about whether or not ‘Linux is Ready for the Desktop’ is bewildering. I’m not doing any favours by adding one more article to the list.
In many of the writings I have read on this topic, I notice most concentrate on one major theme – replacing the Microsoft Windows Desktop with that of Linux. To be honest it doesn’t take a PhD physicist to work that one out. However, I can’t help but think that there is another way – a subtler, even sneaky method. It doesn’t end up with the whole network running Linux and , but it is a good ‘first step’. I think that the way I am about to describe is easier, more user friendly and a gentle step-by-step introduction to Linux and Open source for network users in corporations that can be used as a strong argument for finally throwing out all those Windows Machines (or replacing the operating system at least).
The story begins with the choosing of an html editor.
I am called upon – in a freelance way – to do carry out a list of changes and updates to a website about every month. I don’t use FrontPage, can’t afford Dreamweaver and since I have a little knowledge of html, preferred to use NotePad. However, I was finding that I was doing a lot of repetitive updates, carrying out the same changes to all files in the site (‘latest news’, ‘last updated on’ etc.). I needed an editor on steroids that would have more powerful features like a ‘Find and Replace in all Files…’ in particular.
I went to ‘Tucows’, it is possible to spend hours just browsing through the programs on offer. A quick search of ‘html editor’ led me to AceHTML which after a quick install, quick look at and quick edit, has now become my default html editor – many thanks to Visicom Media Inc.
Bang, there goes NotePad; I shall not use it again (for html at least).
Next up was the web browser – on a modem, the speed at which pop-up ads and JavaScript surveys can load and reload is limited by the 56k connection, you can close a pop-up before it has time to download the code which says “if (close) then (open another five pop-ups)”. Now that I’ve transferred to a LAN connection (quite an upgrade!), these pop-ups are much more of an annoyance than before.
You would think; no, common sense would dictate that after all the releases and service packs of Internet Explorer, just one might install a small line in the options list that says “Block Pop-ups”. I have not found it to date. After a particularly annoying session playing ‘catch the ads’, I remembered Mozilla.
Mozilla – the open source browser, quick look down the releases, Mozilla FireBird – lean, light and very fast with enhanced security… fine. Release version 0.7, that should be stable enough – download, save, install, run, test, gawp. Within fifteen minutes, Mozilla FireBird had managed to replace my default browser that I have been using for nearly six years.
Occasionally I use ftp to transfer files between combinations computers and servers. I used the normal Windows Explorer that went into FTP mode whenever I navigated to an ftp site – it was slow, (could be incredibly slow), rather flaky and for some reason, although I would tell it to download a file to a particular directory, it would place it somewhere temporarily first and then copy it over when finished. For small files this isn’t too bad. However, when Linux ISO’s are being transferred, the time it takes to copy an ISO from a temporary file to the place I actually want it takes longer than the download itself – it is quite stupid, you would think, even expect, that they’d know better.
After frustratingly loosing two ISO’s in the copying process I thought “right; that’s it; Tucows” a search for ‘FTP programs’ brought up FileZilla – top rating, great review, freeware, fine. Then it was the usual download, install, run, test, gawp. I shall use nothing but FileZilla for ftp again.
The email was to be next; six years of having the same FreeServe email account and I was drowning in spam being sent to my inbox. I was having trouble filtering out the legitimate messages from all the junk. Outlook Express would quite happily mis-interpret a click to open up one of these spam messages that would take me to a site which would open around ten more pop-up windows that would spawn ten more should you try and close one.
Back to Mozilla, scroll down the list, hmm, ThunderBird, version 0.3, great email filtering, light, secure, user acclaimed…looks like the job; download, install, run… Need I say more?
Finally, I saw OpenOffice.org had released their 1.1 version of OpenOffice. I had come across StarOffice in it’s version 5 form and wasn’t particularly keen, however, that was a long time ago wasn’t it? Surely it would be a lot better now. Hmm, curiosity killed the cat then went after the dog and the goldfish…I was impressed (no pun intended on the presentation program).
By now I hope you’re noticing a trend appearing. Without actively thinking about it, I’ve begun to replace the usual, standard Microsoft applications with freeware, most of it open source. If I look closer, I see that this stuff is all over my system; Ghostscript, LaTeX, TeXnicCenter, File Eraser, ISO Viewer…
This is the ‘other way’ that I initially mentioned. Although I haven’t moved over totally to Linux – indeed, I use a dual boot machine which is in Windows most of the time – many of the tasks that I use a computer for; web browsing, emailing, html, LaTeX, Office Software, has been replaced from the ubiquitous Microsoft programs like Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Microsoft Office; to free/open source alternatives – Mozilla FireBird/ThunderBird, OpenOffice, MikTeX…
This hasn’t happened in one evening, or in a week. To be honest, I really can’t remember how long it has been going on – but after reading a lot of material on ‘Desktop Linux’, it prompted me to think what I actually had on my own system – and I was surprised at what I found.
Now that can be seen as either stupidity for not knowing what I’m installing, or subtlety for letting open source creep onto my system without me noticing.
One thing I cannot stand is when I am forced to change a way of working that I have been used to for a long time. This has a particular emphasis in a network situation where the users are not the administrators of the machines. The effect on users of converting abruptly to an entirely new operating system, philosophy and most importantly – way of working, is obvious; it doesn’t need me or a psychologist to go through the arguments.
However, the subtlety of slowly incorporating open source software onto a windows platform cannot be overstated – especially when I have experienced it myself. This method of slowly replacing common applications with alternatives has many advantages, firstly, it is a gentle introduction, users haven’t really much reason to complain if they’re given the choice of carrying on with the old app, or having a look at the new one. Should something go wrong, the old way is always there, the whole migration/project doesn’t have to be scrapped or desperately salvaged – your job isn’t on the line. Instead it is just a small hiccup – if some web pages don’t work with FireBird, use IE.
The beauty of this is that this way is not an ‘instead of a Linux desktop’, it is a first step to ‘Linux on the desktop’. Ideally, if everything goes well, users will be running OpenOffice, Mozilla or and other open source tools. They will, over time, become familiar with these new tools and will gently adjust and adapt because that’s how this was all implemented in the first place.
Then watch what happens when Linux is installed – the same software will be available – OpenOffice, Mozilla… these are the same applications but just for a different platform, there is little or no change in the way of working.
Now, I am not a Network Administrator, nor am I a ‘standard’ network user. What I’ve described is what happened, naturally, on my own PC and what I think would be a very good way to break into Open Source with a view to running a network using Linux that causes little confusion or aggravation to the users (which is amongst the more important goals).
I think that if people were given the choice, they ought naturally to choose the better (which hopefully, would be the open source way), they decide and learn for themselves at their own pace and are happy for it. It is so subtle they don’t notice what’s going on until it is pointed out to them sometime down the line.
Kind of reminds me of me.
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