Demand for open source deskop systems is rising
slowly.
What is it?
Desktop Linux is simply the Linux operating system with a
desktop graphical user interface. Linux can be scaled from the
desktop to the largest enterprise system, and it has done well in
the datacentre, compared with Microsoft's Windows.
As the free, downloadable Openoffice improves the ability of
Linux desktops to cope with Microsoft Office documents, users fed
up with high costs, version incompatibilities and forced upgrades
may be ready for an alternative to Windows.
Where did it originate?
With two projects, KDE and Gnome, in the late 1990s.
What's it for?
It will appeal most to organisations already committed to the
Lamp (Linux, Apache, MySQL/PostgresQL/Perl/ PythonPHP) open source
platform. Most routine desktop applications are covered, with some
products familiar from other environments, such as Adobe's Acrobat
reader and the Firefox browser.
What makes it special?
In the US you can already buy a £170 computer running the
Linspire version of desktop Linux - but only if you can find
someone prepared to sell it to you. Margins on low-cost software
are obviously low, and Linux champions have accused analysts of
deliberately putting people off desktop Linux in the enterprise
because of the threat to their revenues.
Although not virus-free, Linux claims a stronger security model
than Windows, and it is certainly much less of a target.
How difficult is it to master?
There are "conceptual" differences between Windows and desktop
Linux, reflected in a different style of user interface. Culture
shock can be reduced, or made more gradual, by installing
Openoffice on Windows first.
Where is it used?
Accurate figures for Linux usage are notoriously hard to compile
as there is no way of tracking how many people have downloaded it,
and how often they have copied it. Analyst firm IDC, more positive
about desktop Linux than Gartner, gives it 2.5% of the desktop
operating system market by shipments, which excludes many
downloads. IDC predicts this will rise to 9% by 2008.
What systems does it run on?
There are few major suppliers that ship PCs with Linux
pre-installed, however, Dell can provide a system with Linux, as
can a few smaller UK suppliers. Despite making progress, it seems
Linux still has a way to go to break the Windows stranglehold on
the market.
What's coming up?
Although Linux adoption is rising steadily, a survey by industry
body the Open Source Development Lab found the shortage of
applications the biggest obstacle to take-up. Philip Peake,
co-ordinator of the OSDL's Desktop Linux Working Group, admits many
of the missing "building blocks" are just too boring to attract
open source developers.
Training
Formal training is available from Novell, Red Hat and other
Linux distributors. There are many free online resources, including
the UN Development Program, which hopes that low-cost Linux systems
will bridge the worldÕs Òdigital divideÓ.
Rates of pay
Junior Linux systems administrators can look for £23,000 to
£28,000, rising to £35,000 to £40,000 with experience.