Written By: Patrick Grote
Date: July 17, 2003 (Previously published)
Section: Viewpoints

Why oh why do people always think that something free can overtake something that costs money? If that were the case we'd all use freeware and a company named Microsoft wouldn't exist.

This lunacy is really starting to develop into a frenzied mob mentality with the popularity of Linux. Yes, Linux is a pretty cool operating system. Yes, it does do certain things well. Yes, it will never become mainstream.

Ok, I said it. Linux is DOA when it comes to integrating it into the real world life of computer users. Geek network administrators in Fortune 1000 companies yearning for the free range days are implementing Linux as e-mail servers, print servers, firewalls and even more. I don't know if this is a generation of new technical people wanting to emulate the old hands in the business, but it is not a big deal in the overall scheme of things. All it takes in one of these installations is a bug or unanticipated issue with the Linux installation and management will truly find out what user supported software means ... no company to back up the product.

Linux is certainly growing up. Clustering, raid support, etc. make it an attractive server based platform especially when NetWare and Windows NT Server still cost money and are based on non-standards. This growth, to date, has been in the perfect markets. Home users who want a free operating system to run on their old 486/25 as a server, companies who want to implement a firewall with parts off the shelf and programming folks who want to be part of something larger than themselves.

What got me thinking about this is an article on TechWeb which mentions that Caldera is touting Linux as a great solution for the SOHO (small office/home office) market.

Caldera is the company formed by Mr. Anti-Microsoft, Ray Norda former CEO of Novell. You gotta respect Ray, though. He got his backside kicked in round one with Microsoft and now he is back to get it done again.

This isn't to say that Cladera hasn't done a good job finding holes in Microsoft's armor. They have been doing very well selling Dr. DOS, an MSDOS compatible operating system, to companies to use in embedded chips for smart phones, etc. Microsoft missed the boat in this area and Caldera is making them pay. But Linux for the SOHO market? Please . . .

The article on TechWeb talks about how Linux will make a great server for small businesses. I agree with that with the caveat that the small business owner must be technical. When was the last time you saw a LEARNING LINUX IN 24 HOURS book at your local Waldens or Barnes and Noble?

The article then goes on to detail the secret in this Linux weapon is the collection of applications. Offering StarOffice word processing, graphics, spreadsheet, database and e-mail the software is priced more attractive than Office from Microsoft. I'm sorry, did we timewarp back to the late 80s early 90s? I thought the business software war was over and everyone agrees Office pretty much rules the world at this time. Who doesn't use Office? Um, IBM probably uses SmartSuite based on the fact they bought Lotus and WordPerfect uses, well, WordPerfect, but other than that who is left? According to Dataquest 9 out of 10 companies use Office now, so there aren't many people who don't.

Small businesses would be nuts, no, absolutely nuts, to choose a non-standard software package to run their business with. First time the small business owner needs to share information with one client or other company which represents 90% of the market owned by Office he would be SOL. Sure, StarOffice allows you to save a file in Microsoft Word format, but come on, you ever seen a translated file? Heck, Microsoft can't even translate between Word versions with 100% accuracy!

What about accounting software? Gee, where is the QuickBooksPro for Linux? I didn't know PeachTree released a Linux version. They didn't and that is the part one of the problem. Software.

The second part of the problem is support. A typical small business owner can hit up friends for support. Chances are they use Windows 95, 98 or NT and Office. If the owner is having really big trouble, finding a local consultant to help is no big deal with the Microsoft products. Good luck finding one who can tell a Linux from a UNIX prompt or even one who can set up a mailing list using StarOffice.

Linux is a good product. It is an excellent tool to make certain things happen. It is not a mainstream offering. It is ironic that the thing that makes Linux so attractive and good, user supported and open, is also the thing that will prevent it from becoming mainstream.

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