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 Channel Futures

Open Source


From Linux to Windows: Is This 2009 Downgrade Really Necessary?

  • Written by Joe Panettieri 1
  • December 15, 2008

While speaking recently with one of my bosses, I was told I will receive a new business laptop in 2009. Now, for the problem: It will be running Windows Vista or Windows XP. Hooray for new gear. Boo for Luddite attitudes.

I’m never one to rankle feathers. But in this case I honestly asked “I’m not trying to buck authority at all, so please don’t take it as such, but… WHY Windows?”

My reasoning: I’m happy with Linux. But as a reluctant concession to the business world, I’ve installed Office 2003 using CrossOver Linux. I also installed Internet Explorer, so I can use the web interface of our Help Desk portal software, ConnectWise. (Side note, WorksWithU’s sister site, MSPmentor.net, covers ConnectWise and other managed services tools closely.)

And I also use Virtual Box to run a virtual machine of Windows XP and Office and other common apps. I have two, if not three, ways of running all of our critical business functions. After explaining my preference of using Linux as my primary platform, his response was, “well we can talk about it on Friday when I’m in your office. I can explain my position better in person…”

Seeking A Second Opinion

Now don’t get the impression that I don’t like this guy, because we have a great relationship. But it happened that I also had a meeting today with our Executive VP, and I told him in passing about the exchange. I mentioned it really because I thought it was humorous, the off-handedness of his opinion.

Well the Executive VP, he got a little fired up about it.

“What the hell’s he talking about? How can we offer service to someone who has 20 servers and one or two of ’em are Linux, if none of our guys knows Linux? What kind of revenue are we missing because of this bull****?”

Our Executive VP is a little heavy-handed at times, but he’s really a sweet guy. After several minutes of discussion which included the details of my setup that I listed above, he said “no, you get the machine and you do what you need to with it. It’s better to have those bases covered than not.”

Linux Is Back In the Mix

And while nothing’s fully decided yet, it’s looking pretty good from where I sit right now. I’ve been “that guy” for a while now, trying to wedge my foot in the door.

I’ve used the angle of “with the economy doing what it’s doing, we’d be wise to at least be capable of talking to a customer about moving to something other than Vista or Windows 7 if they don’t want to or can’t afford the hardware tax to go with it. This would be a great way for us to help smaller clients save money. They’re paying us for the support already, so we’re helping them out by eliminating some of the cost structure. And we still make our money besides.” This usually gets a “well that does make sense…”

At the end of the day, it’s still a long row to hoe. But at least today, Linux is a light at the end of my tunnel.

WorksWithU Contributing Blogger Toby Deemer runs Ubuntu 8.04 to manage a large law firm network.   

WorksWithU is updated multiple times per week. Don’t miss a single post. Sign up for our RSS and Twitter feeds (available now) and newsletter (launching January 2009).

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Mobility Open Source

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12 comments

  1. Avatar Vadim P. December 15, 2008 @ 11:25 pm
    Reply

    The VP is the VP for a reason. He got smarts.

  2. Avatar dwasifar December 16, 2008 @ 12:55 am
    Reply

    Page title does not match article title. Page title says “From Windows to Linux,” article title says “From Linux to Windows.”

  3. Avatar Joe Panettieri December 16, 2008 @ 1:08 am
    Reply

    Dwasifar: I’m not seeing the error on my end but I’m giving it a closer look…

  4. Avatar CorrectionNeeded December 16, 2008 @ 5:35 am
    Reply

    dwasifar is right. Title bar (of Firefox) says “… Windows to Linux…”

    The title on the actual page says “… Linux to Windows… “

  5. Avatar Joe Panettieri December 16, 2008 @ 5:39 am
    Reply

    I think it’s fixed but will check again Tuesday.

  6. Avatar dragonbite December 16, 2008 @ 11:59 am
    Reply

    This is good to hear. Executives and people high in the mix need to accept Linux if it is going to make the desktop inroads in the corporate environement.

    Servers are mysterious enough to most executives that they’ll go with whatever is recommended (and thus, responsible) by their chief IT guy!

    I know that our systems administrator is dead set against going to MS Vista (and Windows 7 is must Vista with makeup, kinda like a pig) but I don’t think we have enough “oomph” to move everybody to Linux in one form or another (yet).

  7. Avatar Neo December 16, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
    Reply

    ahhh, the power of TV commercials are something else, aren’t they? and a good Capitalist it taught from day one that anything of value must be bought. also, humans resist change. they like their world to be predicable and under their feeble imagined control.
    Americans use Windblows because bill gates and his Billions said so and the sheeple will follow. which platform is superior is irrelevant. overseas, Linux is seeing much faster growth. they don’t have the Monopoly$oft commercials to watch. and in the end, Linux will give them an advantage over us. you can’t teach and old Capitalist new tricks, so expect WindBlows to be around awhile….

  8. Avatar swiftnet December 17, 2008 @ 12:42 am
    Reply

    A strategy that works extremely well for me is to run a virtualized (Xen/KVM/VMware) Windows on a server. Connect to it via rdp, nx or vnc.

  9. Avatar Peter December 17, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
    Reply

    My IT department had no problem with a WinXP/Ubuntu dual boot on my corporate laptop. They even offered to repartition my disk. I ended up doing it myself, and they have come to me twice this year with Linux questions (I’m not much brighter than the average dim bulb, but I do have several years’ experience as a Linux user…)

  10. Avatar gheorghe December 22, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
    Reply

    If you were one of my users, I would let you install anything, Minix, Solaris, Plan 9, HURD, OpenVMS, but don’t come to me if something doesen’t work.

    One luser less to support, hooray! 😀

  11. Avatar jp December 26, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
    Reply

    The html page title and the article title are foobar. PAY ATTENTION EDITORS!

    “From Windows to Linux: Is This Downgrade Really Necessary? | Works With U” is different from the article’s title of “From Linux to Windows: Is This 2009 Downgrade Really Necessary?”

    WINDOWS TO LINUX IS NOT A DOWNGRADE!!!!

    Fire that editor.

    JP

  12. Avatar Joe Panettieri December 30, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
    Reply

    JP: I like your initials. The Google Search Engine Optimization got screwed up — we had it right, though. Google SEO snafu has since been fixed.

    Joe Panettieri
    Editorial Director
    WorksWithU

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