| Case studies show how to use Linux in the "real world" |
Jul. 28, 2004
Open source developer and noted skatepark advocate Mark Stosberg has posted a collection of "real world" migrations to Linux. These quick testimonals offer great case studies for how "Joe and Jane Sixpax" can use Linux and offer a great snapshot of all the ways Linux is meeting, and oftentimes surpasssing, user expectations.
Stosberg's friends and colleagues that have successfully moved to Linux all report that open source affords them the ability to do all -- or more than -- they could using more expensive operating systems. New Linux users profiled include the "demanding Mac user," and users who just needed low cost, easy to use, and no maintence systems. The case studies all address unique challenges and explore solutions available using open source.
Common to all the profiles are scenarios that address users' fear of moving to Linux. For example, there is the user who "needed" Microsoft Money, the gamer who could not live without "The Sims," and the user who had to use specialized programs for accessing a credit union and running a business. Both of these proprietary programs worked under WINE and are now listed as programs "known" to work with the popular open source bridge technology that provides Windows capabilities natively on Linux systems.
Skateboarding advocate turned Linux evangelist
Having used open source on his home desktop machine since 2001, Stosberg made a move to an HP system earlier this year. Equipped with Mandrake Linux 9.2, he now runs all business applications using his new system. Stosberg also found that by using CrossOver Office he could run Dreamweaver MX for Windows, as well as the official Windows Quicktime browser plugin.
Some of the other benefits of using Linux for Stosberg included the "abundance" of pre-compiled open source software over OS X. One extra benefit of running Linux, notes Stosberg, "some programs that worked on both systems worked better on OpenOffice 1.1 had not yet been released for OS X, and my fonts didn't look right on the older Mac version. This was installed and working great by default on Linux."
An unexpected bonus of using CrossOver office was that Stosberg could use Internet Explorer 6 and test website designs for IE browser compatibility directly from his Linux system. Additionally, he exports the program so that it runs on the desktop of the designer's OS X machine, calling it the "best solution we developed so far to allow a Mac user to test the Windows IE browser."
On his site, Stosberg hosts a tutorial page with tips and tricks for using Linux, including a guide for migrating using "Now Contact" (3.8) as an addressbook to the open-source KAddressbook (3.1), which runs on both OS X and Linux machines. He also provides an overview to set up Mandrake 10 on a Dell Latitude CPX H500GT laptop.
Stosberg has been using Linux for over six years. He is the co-owner and the principal developer at Summersault, a database driven web design company in Indiana. He is active in several open source software projects and is a maintainer of the popular Data::FormValidator Perl and CGI::Application Perl modules. His database-backed Skatepark.org project is a comprehensive resource for the skatepark community and promotes skateboarding in general.
In the collection of case studies Stosberg says that under Linux, networking the Macs was no problem (with Samba), and calendaring throughout his office supports both Linux and the Macs (with KOrganizer). Says Stosberg, "With Windows, the decisions are pretty much made for you . . . The relative lack of virus and security problems with web-surfing is nice . . . The ease of installation and un-installation is refreshing. Not really so many surprises as when a person pays lots of money for a program, only to discover some prerequisite hardware or software missing." This same user reports his two "dinosaur" systems are still operating -- because of Linux.
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