*BSD News Article 41496


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From: jjs@dostoevsky.ucr.edu (Joe Sloan)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Linux thoroughly insulted by Infoworld!
Date: 24 Jan 1995 18:13:56 GMT
Organization: University of Calfornia at Riverside
Lines: 38
Message-ID: <3g3g14$1vd@galaxy.ucr.edu>
References: <950116203411@lambada> <3g0mnn$ccp@nkosi.well.com> <3g267v$1e3@blackice.winternet.com> <3g34fr$jri@nkosi.well.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: dostoevsky.ucr.edu

In article <3g34fr$jri@nkosi.well.com>,
Henry Hwong <henryh@well.sf.ca.us> wrote:
>Sure, I can try to convince my clients to look at Linux. It's free!
>However, now I have to look at how much time it would take to maintain or
>setup. For a consultant, time is big bucks. Many times, it is cheaper
>for me to recommend a whole solution (Sun, HP, IBM) that comes in a package
>with everything installed instead of me spending the time to put together
>a 486 or Pentium system running Linux.
The solution is easy - buy a pre-installed linux system. I know of several
vendors who sell ready-to-go linux workstations. You seem to be under the
impression that the only way to get linux is to start with a dos machine
and a CD-ROM or a pile of disks, and ftp'ing here and there for apps...
Maybe in the early days, it was that way - but not anymore...

>Then we have to do technology transfer to the client. It's easy to find
>classes for Solaris, AIX, SCO, or HPUX. Linux classes? Uh. Hmm. Well, I
>could spend the time ($$) to teach you everything about Linux. RTFM just
>doesn't cut it with clients. And I can't tell clients to just fire all 
>their mainframe people and just hire people who recently graduated from
>college, either.
If they don't fire their "mainframe people" when they buy SCO or HP/UX, 
why would linux be any different? your argument makes no sense.

>That's why consultants like me pick the packages. I have to find the best
>solution for my clients. Long term, that $1000 I tell my client to spend
>on SCO is cheaper than going with Linux. The hidden people costs are
>what kill you.
I think you are looking at a static snapshot of the state of linux some 
months or years ago. The point you are missing is the terrific momentum
in the linux movement - your assumptions about linux are obviously based
on old data - and brother, old stuff gets old fast around here!

jjs

--
 jjs@wintermute.ucr.edu            / You can't figure out how to
 A linux machine! because a 486    / ACCELERATE your Windoze NT box?
 is a terrible thing to waste!     / -9.8 m/s^2 works quite well!!!