| Xandros: Delivering the corporate desktop |
by Jill Ratkevic
DesktopLinux.com discovers what Hilton hotels recently learned -- Xandros delivers the corporate desktop. Emphasizing solutions that offer a smooth transition for companies migrating from Microsoft Windows and a significant cost savings (reportedly millions for Hilton alone), Xandros is paving the way for Desktop Linux. This in-depth interview with Xandros' Chairman Frederick Berenstein and VP of software development, Ming Poon walks us through the global corporate transition to Linux, Xandros' corporate strategy, open source philosophy, and much, much more . . .
DesktopLinux.com: Many people talk about Linux not being ready for the masses. They further suggest only early adopters are incorporating Linux into their computing environments. What is your take on the desktop computing market and where does
Xandros fit in?
Ming Poon: The Xandros Desktop has reached a 'critical mass' of application compatibility and breadth of functionality that makes it a truly viable alternative to Windows. For the vast majority of our customers, 'it just works'.
We see very strong growth in the Desktop Linux market in the next two to three years, helped by the general acceptance of Linux in the enterprise. Xandros is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this enormous opportunity, as we are the leading desktop distribution. We are working closely with our corporate customers to identify the needs we must satisfy to take full advantage of this imminent explosive growth.
Once your competition switches to a Desktop Linux solution and gets a better bottom line, what are you going to do? You too will have to seek out lower costs, open standards, and flexible licensing terms.
Rick Berenstein: You always hear the press saying that Linux is not ready for the 'masses'. This is the same press that said, in 1998, that although Linux was a stable and secure operating system, it would not get much farther in the server market beyond the 2 percent share it then enjoyed. With the groundswell of countries standardizing their educational systems on Linux, and the number of large corporations moving to Linux, this year will see an enormous explosion of Linux in computing environments, including the desktop.
At Xandros we reviewed studies of why firms were not adopting the Linux desktop. We found three barriers to entry: difficult installation; no bridge to the current Microsoft environment; and a lack of familiar, well functioning applications to perform basic office tasks. We didn't release the Xandros Desktop until all of these issues were resolved.
DesktopLinux.com: You recently announced a deployment with Hilton Hotels. Could you talk a little about the details. What were the Hilton's goals and how did Xandros offer the solution?
Ming Poon: Hilton's goals were pretty simple: a stable, secure environment for their call center operation, and a better bottom line than their competition. By deploying the Xandros Desktop using their existing hardware, rather than follow a forced 'upgrade' to XP, Hilton found that they could save millions of dollars based on the number of machines they have.
Rick Berenstein: Hilton also wanted a solution that required little or no retraining. We deployed the Xandros Desktop over the weekend, and the staff went back to work Monday morning without batting an eyelash. It was amazing -- the biggest complaint was that the team hadn't brought over their desktop themes!
DesktopLinux.com: Walk us through the enterprise user's office -- what are the critical apps that enterprise customer's need, how does Xandros fill that need, and what is the typical cost savings?
Ming Poon: Actually, they don't look at the apps as the first step. Their first requirement is a solution that fits seamlessly into their existing Windows networking infrastructures. The Xandros Desktop, with such features as easy file and print sharing across Windows networks, and user authentication against Windows domain controllers, is the only distrribution that fully meets this need.
When it comes to applications, we're not following the traditional Linux distribution approach where you've got six calculators, four text editors, three of this and two of that -- you get one of everything with us. Xandros picks the best of the breed, and then tweaks and tests each app to assure tight OS integration and reliable performance. We believe it's a users right to have applications with a consistent interface that simply do the things you would normally expect.
Our clients usually look at a limited number of applications, for e-mail, web browsing, and other office tasks. We often help them to find web based solutions or other open source programs for the rest of the applications they are accustomed to.
Rick Berenstein: The typical enterprise user needs a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a way to view and edit other people's files, an e-mail program and a web browser. A few users need other special programs for, say, graphics, but the majority does not. The Xandros Desktop offers solid solutions for those needs. There is the OpenOffice.org productivity suite which has matured into a full-featured set of applications. We also offer the open source Mozilla web browser.
DesktopLinux.com: Could you briefly walk us through the support Xandros offers to the mixed computing environments found in corporations. How will offices most benefit from the Xandros solution? Can you share any success stories?
Ming Poon: Xandros supports the major file and print serving protocols, so it fits in a Windows environment, a Linux/UNIX environment, or a mixed environment nicely. Unlike the competition, we have all these features tightly integrated in the applications and utilities where they belong. This makes for a simple transition, where end users do not need any retraining at all. For instance, the things they normally find in Windows Explorer are right there in Xandros File Manager as well.
We have many success stories. All of them share the same common theme. They get Xandros Desktop installed within twenty to twenty five minutes on a variety of hardware with no issues whatsoever. They reboot the computer after the installation, and everything just works, from getting onto their Windows or UNIX networks, right down to printing with a few mouse clicks.
Rick Berenstein: The Xandros Desktop was designed with our understanding of how vitally important it would be for a successful Linux desktop to operate seamlessly in mixed computing environments. Our very highly praised Xandros File Manager offers the user a compact view of all of the computers attached to a corporate network, whether they are Windows shares, Unix or Linux machines. Files can simply be dragged and dropped anywhere in the network. In addition, we have made it extremely easy to set up printers and files that are to be shared with other users.
DesktopLinux.com: Is it Xandros' philosophy that Windows-compatibility is critical to Linux adoption? What are your theories on supporting or not supporting 'bridge technologies'?
Ming Poon: None of our customers can make a 100% switch overnight. It is really that simple. Bridge technology is very important in the early phase, but not so much after you have gained a significant market share.
Having the ability to run MS Office 2000 solves a majority of those needs. So far we have been very successful in helping our customers in their migration paths.
Rick Berenstein: You don't need a philosophy to understand that, with 95 percent of the desktop world running Windows based computers with Microsoft Office, compatibility is critical for Linux adoption on the desktop. At Xandros we have gone to great lengths to provide a desktop that is simple to install, and presents a familiar GUI that lets the Windows user get right to work without retraining.
The OpenOffice.org office suite does a good job with most MS Office files, and, moreover, offers a way out of proprietary format dependency. For the power users who simply must continue to work with Microsoft Office, we offer a special, integrated version of CodeWeavers CrossOver Office which allows MS Office to be installed and run directly on the Xandros Desktop.
For customers who need to run the full range of Windows programs, including custom-built, in-house applications, Xandros provides enhanced kernel support for the NeTraverse Win4Lin bridging technology.
DesktopLinux.com: You recently started selling a Standard Edition. Can you talk about that introduction and who is targeted? How do you feel this fits the market opportunity for Desktop Linux?
Ming Poon: The Standard Edition is more or less created for those retail customers who want to be 100% Windows free. The ability to run Windows applications or to resize NTFS partitions is meaningless to them. Because of its lower introductory price, the Standard Edition removes the barrier for newbies who want to give Desktop Linux a try.
Rick Berenstein: The Standard Edition was our response to the requests of many desktop users who love all the features of the Xandros Desktop, but don't need the technology afforded by CrossOver Office. The installation is just as easy and complete, and so is the desktop. And it is a tremendous value for $39.95.
DesktopLinux.com: Xandros is based on . Why Debian? What advantages does this give Xandros?
Ming Poon: In the Linux community, Debian GNU/Linux is highly regarded by techies as the most secure and solid distribution. Xandros takes this solid OS base and adds the key desktop features that make it easy for everyone to use. That's the Xandros Desktop in a nutshell.
Xandros chooses and tweaks the best of breed applications designed to satisfy the majority of desktop needs. However, there will always be exceptional needs for particular users or companies. By combining Debian with Xandros Networks, our users have access to one of the world's largest software repositories. They can pick and choose from over 8000 software packages, and install them with a single click. You won't find anything that matches the sheer quantity, or the superior quality, of the Debian repository.
Debian is renown for its rigorous testing and superior package management, assuring extreme reliability and trouble-free upgrades. These attributes are especially critical in an enterprise environment where you may be supporting hundreds, or even thousands of desktops.
Running Debian will also allow users to be compatible with other versions of Linux, via planned LSB compliance.
DesktopLinux.com: How does Xandros work with open source philosophy and as a commercial company?
Ming Poon: We work with the open source community just like many other commercial companies. We hired open source developers in the past and gave them free rein to do whatever they need to support those open source projects that they are involved with. We obligate ourselves by the licensing terms of each and every one of those projects. In the case of GPL, we send the changes back in patches or make them available publicly for download.
Rick Berenstein: Xandros believes that all enhancements to open source code should be given back to the community. At the same time, coding which we create for the purpose of making all the disparate pieces of code work together, whether in our installer or in other areas, is proprietary and provides some of the value added to the open-source kernel for which we are charging.
DesktopLinux.com: One area that Xandros has developed -- but not yet fully unleashed the power of -- is your home-grown Xandros File Manager [XFM]. This technology is regarded by many as a killer feature. Can you talk more about it and explain its potential?
Ming Poon: There are many file managers out there in Linux, some are quite good and some are just horrible. However, we find all of them are designed for people with a Linux/UNIX background, and they are not that user friendly from a Windows user's point of view.
Xandros File Manager was created to tackle this problem so that Windows users will find it extremely easy to use, while providing the power and customization features to satisfy the more advanced and traditional Linux users. It is really the best of both worlds. Everything you find in Windows Explorer is readily available from XFM as well, with similar mouse clicks. Windows networking is built right into XFM. We even built NFS networking right into XFM.
XFM lets you open various file types right in the view pane, including text, images, PDF files, and Flash animations. You can intuitively perform all types of file operations, such as drag-and-drop and the launching of executables. XFM can also rip CDs into wav, ogg or mp3 formats and has many other file related operations. Please see this link for a more detailed description of XFM.
The potential of XFM is endless, as a lot of your day to day activities revolve around files. You can even install and control your printer settings right from XFM with a few mouse clicks. With V2 coming up later this year, we'll be adding more exciting features to XFM that will make your computing life even simpler.
DesktopLinux.com: The Xandros File Manage (XFM) provides browsing on Windows-based Networks. Does it also host 'plug and play' capabilities? Currently what technologies does it support?
Ming Poon: Yes, XFM does have 'plug and play' capabilities. Any hot pluggable storage devices (USB or PCCARD) that are supported by the kernel will be picked up by XFM as soon as they are plugged in. Floppy drives are disappearing from modern PCs, to be replaced by USB flash drives or memory sticks. XFM is constantly evolving so any new and stable technologies will be incorporated when the right moment comes.
Rick Berenstein: We are enormously proud of the Xandros File Manager and the tremendous effort that the Xandros staff has put into it. I believe that it is the only file manager to have gotten a review just for itself, apart from the distribution it came with. It is powerful, flexible, expandable on the fly (hardware that is added appears instantly in the File Manager and disappears as soon as it is disconnected), and will take you out to the Net if you type in, say, an FTP site instead of a directory.
DesktopLinux.com: The 2.6 kernel is going to include Bluetooth support, broader hardware support, enhanced security, preemption and much more. This will enhance all Linux distributions, but how will Xandros incorporate these advancements?
Ming Poon: Having all these features supported by the kernel does not mean they will work for you automatically. For example, some 3D graphics cards are well supported by the kernel and X-Window, so why doesn't 3D acceleration work after you finish the installation of certain Linux distributions? Because they don't have the engineering and testing that goes into the Xandros Desktop, that makes these intricate technologies 'just work' for our customers.
We are also very good at bringing out the subtle things in Linux and making them useful features that the customers just love. For example, we brought out the desktop pager feature in Corel LINUX, and integrated that into the panel/taskbar for easy navigation and control. Our users loved it, and it has since become a standard feature in both KDE and GNOME. In the Xandros Desktop, we did it again with our Switch User feature. The implementation was quite simple, since it was based on text commands that Linux and X could do for years.
DesktopLinux.com: Xandros uses the KDE interface. Do you think a common UI will be embraced by companies that emerge in the Desktop Linux marketplace? What are your thoughts on UI?
Ming Poon: Quite honestly, the questions about KDE 2 vs. KDE 3 or KDE vs. GNOME have not even come up a single time in any of our corporate sales. All the customers care about is whether it is Windows-like or not and whether it is easy to use, so I don't believe it really matters whether KDE and GNOME have a common UI or not. Even in Windows, the File Open dialog is very customizable and looks quite different from application to application. As long as the UI is easy to use and resembles Windows somewhat, users nowadays will have no problem in picking things up.
Rick Berenstein: A common UI might appear, but I wonder if it is necessary. Right now, the UI can appear Windows-like, Unix-like, Mac-like, or GNOME-like. The Xandros Desktop lets the user decide which UI they feel most comfortable with. A blended UI, such as Red Hat is now offering, will probably not please either dyed-in-the-wool KDE people or GNOME stalwarts. And it gives the impression that one company is trying to foist a GUI on everyone. That already happened in the Windows world; who needs it to happen in Linux?
DesktopLinux.com: How about the home user ... how does Xandros see as the best way to tap the masses?
Ming Poon: The home market is secondary to us for the time being but we are not ignoring it. It is mostly based on OEM sales bundled with new PCs. The major pivot point for the massive migration of home users is when they can buy and play the latest games on their PC -- not games that are a couple of years old. We see corporate desktops as the first phase of the Desktop Linux migration. Once this happens, the games vendors may take notice, sense that there is a real market in the home based users too, and start releasing Linux game titles at the same time as their Windows counterparts. There is really no technological reason that they can't do this today, it is just that the market size is not quite there yet.
Rick Berenstein: With the number of countries that are standardizing on Linux, there will soon be hundreds of millions of students who will be used to using a Linux based PC, and they will feel most comfortable with that when they get a computer to use at home. Their parents, who will be using Linux based PCs at work will also want them at home. This was one major reason that Windows trickled into home PCs, and I feel certain that the same will be true for the Xandros Desktop.
DesktopLinux.com: Walk us through the home end user's office -- realistically what is the cost/benefit vs. functionality that Xandros delivers. What, for example, is the difference in average cost, product support, et. al. for the home user using Xandros Standard Edition vs. Microsoft XP?
Ming Poon: First, you will be able to buy a cheaper, fully-functional PC. With PC prices reaching the $199 level, the XP licensing cost will easily add over $100 on top, raising the cost of your PC by at least 50 percent. You pretty well can do everything in Xandros that XP offers. With Xandros Desktop 2.0, the gap will be even closer or non existent. In addition, you get to have a huge software arsenal from Debian with over 8000 software packages. If you need to run a web server and domain controller at your home office, it means you will need to go to the Windows 2000 or .NET server versions, so we are talking about a possible savings of thousands of dollars.
Rick Berenstein: The Xandros Desktop offers an enormous cost benefit for the home user. Microsoft XP with Microsoft Office (not even the Professional version) costs several hundred dollars more than the Deluxe Xandros Desktop. In addition, you can install a single copy of the Xandros Desktop on an unlimited number of computers in your home. There is no activation code preventing you from having the Xandros Desktop on both your home desktop and your laptop. With Microsoft XP you would need two licenses, and hence have to spend even more money. Microsoft keeps saying that analysis shows that they offer the best TCO, but no one has showed me how that could possibly be.
DesktopLinux.com: Many Linux distributions see PC gaming as an area that needs to be addressed for Linux adoption. Currently, Xandros has not announced a move in that direction. Could you give us Xandros' approach to gaming today?
Ming Poon: Like I said before, the market is not quite there yet so we will continue our focus on the corporate desktop and server first, instead of spreading ourselves too thin. There are companies focused on the Linux gaming market, so we just have to make sure that their products run smoothly on the Xandros Desktop.
Rick Berenstein: We at Xandros see gaming as an area that definitely should be addressed and we are working toward that. In the last two years the technology that will allow the best games, those which use Active X and 3D graphical acceleration, to run flawlessly on the Xandros Desktop, has matured tremendously.
DesktopLinux.com: Can you share a little data about upcoming Xandros 2.0 ... it has been reported it will support Windows XP. Is the application support using CodeWeavers' technology? What other key features does the next release have?
Ming Poon: There are many features we are working on in Xandros Desktop 2.0 but I would have to kill you if I told you now. So wait a few more months until we are getting closer to our beta cycle and official V2 announcement.
DesktopLinux.com: The competition for the Linux desktop is heating up in 2003. We all know the companies vying to dominate the space -- including those holding back until they feel the public is ready to embrace a Linux desktop. Everyone has floated a beta or released an initial offering to the public. Is there really room for so many players? How is Xandros positioned to emerge as a leader?
Ming Poon: There is really nothing fancy or magic about this. It all boils down to hard work and customer satisfaction while keeping to our 'It just works!' philosophy. There may be many products around and some have been doing this for much longer than others too. But none of them really stands out in terms of offering a complete solution that works for the end customer. We are very focused in what we do and we know exactly what customers we are targeting. We are not 'another distro' company that just ships the latest KDE or GNOME. A lot of these products will launch, crash, and burn. In the end, there won't be a lot around.
Rick Berenstein: I believe you are absolutely correct that the competition for the Linux Desktop will heat up in 2003. In fact, some press people have dubbed 2003 the 'Year of the Linux Desktop'. This is not a surprise to us at Xandros since we have been anticipating this point in time for several years. A number of other companies have, indeed, floated ideas around about offering a desktop, but, from what I have seen and know, most of these are Johnny-come-lately mish-mashes piece-mealed together, just so the company can say they have a desktop plan.
The Xandros Desktop, on the other hand, is a carefully thought out offering created by a plan to present the current world market of users with a consistently integrated UI that allows them to continue working seamlessly with what they had been doing before. Our experience at Hilton shows the power of this approach. The Xandros Desktop is now the leading Linux desktop, and this approach will keep it that way.
DesktopLinux.com: How about the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) test? Are you finding that certain brands, such as an HP or Canon printers perhaps, are Linux-compatible and 'just work' with Xandros? Do you offer a list of these peripherals so consumers can assess the hardware compatibility before switching to Xandros?
Ming Poon: We do offer a hardware compatibility list but it is really not complete, as there is more hardware that works with Xandros than we can list-- and it keeps growing. In the near future, I think the list of hardware that works with Linux will be longer than the list of hardware that doesn't. That is the clear trend, so it's only going to get better from here on.
DesktopLinux.com: Xandros is one of a few Desktop Linux-oriented companies that has backing from financial investors -- Linux Global Partners. How has this helped to shape your vision? How close is the relationship -- hands on and day-to-day?
Ming Poon: Xandros and LGP share the same common vision in bringing Desktop Linux to the masses. Having the LGP connection sometimes helps us find the right partner sooner rather than later. It should help us to enter the server market very soon too -- something that our customers have been asking us to do for the last 1.5 years.
Rick Berenstein: Our relationship with Linux Global Partners is very close and our visions of the future are also very close. Linux Global Partners was founded in 1998; their vision was to invest in companies that were developing, or hoping to develop, applications and technology that would provide the foundations for a viable desktop. Let's remember that in 1998 people were writing off Linux's chances in the server market; they laughed when you talked about Linux on the desktop. But Linux Global Partners saw that -- as Linus Torvalds just said last week, the desktop was 'inevitable' -- and they invested heavily in quite a number of companies. Many people are not aware of it, but LGP was the first major investor in CodeWeavers and put Ximian into business.
DesktopLinux.com: Xandros shares a history with Corel -- a pioneer in Linux. How has that heritage helped? What technologies do you retain? Will we see WordPerfect updated anytime soon -- perhaps on a Xandros Desktop?
Ming Poon: We pretty much inherited all the technologies that Corel had developed with Corel LINUX. This includes everything you see in the Xandros Desktop including the installer and XFM. DaVinci is another technology that we have inherited and have used it in Xandros Networks Single User Edition. Xandros Networks Enterprise Edition will be based on the same technology, and so will our future server management tools. We have also retained all the key developers and architects of Corel LINUX.
Rick Berenstein: Xandros shares a history with Corel that has helped us tremendously. Corel focused on the desktop right from the beginning and we have built on their efforts.
DesktopLinux.com: Responding to the global economy and the strong international adoption of Linux, do your localization efforts include Xandros becoming available in alternative languages such as French, Spanish, or Japanese?
Ming Poon: Yes, definitely.
Rick Berenstein: Absolutely. Right from the beginning our vision has been to address the global market. It is this market, after all, that has the highest percentage of computer hardware that is crying out for a desktop system like the Xandros Desktop, because it is not substantial enough to run Windows 98, 2000, or, especially, XP. The global market has been seriously hurt by the economic downturn of the last three years and has been hoping for a cost effective alternative to the Microsoft operating system. In Argentina and Brazil, fifty percent of the computers are running Linux. By providing localized versions in Spanish and Portuguese, alone, the Xandros Desktop becomes a winning solution to over seven hundred million people, almost a tenth of the world's population.
DesktopLinux.com: How do users get Xandros?
Ming Poon: Just point their browser to this link. If the order comes by the end of February for the Deluxe Edition, shipping will be free to US and Canada as well.
Talk back! Do you have comments or questions about this story? talkback here
(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.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed