Since there's been questions about Linux on the desktop, I decided to type up a short case study: Linux at Enhanced Software Technologies, Inc.

We have Linux on every desktop, even in sales and marketing. So far it has proven to be a low-maintenance environment that fills the needs even of the novice users. Here's the initial criteria:

1. All workstations must be identical
2. All users must be able to log into any workstation and be at their desktop, with their programs and icons.
3. Broken workstations should be able to be slid out and replaced with an already-configured spare without disrupting the user.
4. Backing up the server should back up all user files. There should be nothing on any workstation that needs backing up
5. We should use tested, stable technology.

• The resulting desktop should be easy to use and contain all the business functionality needed for EST Inc.'s business functions.

What we ended up with was this:

• Password authentication: NIS via NIS server
• User directories, EST-local programs: /home and /usr/local are NFS file shares.
• IP addresses and names: via DHCP (and reverse DNS lookup on the name server).
• EMAIL server: imapd.

For applications:

• Web Browser: Netscape Navigator.
• EMAIL, NetNews: Netscape Communicator.
• Calendar: 'ical' (corporate calendar kept on NFS file share)
• Office Suite: Star Office. For backward compatibility: WordPerfect

All desktops are configured with the "K" Desktop Environment (KDE) with icons placed on the desktop for all popular applications. Most new employee's initial response is "why does my Windows look funny?". Their next response is usually "Why do I get two copies of the Calendar when I double-click on the Calendar icon?". It takes a couple of minutes for it to sink in that they're not in Kansas (err, in Windows-land) anymore, because it looks so FAMILIAR...

So far there have been a few grumblings when someone sends a Word file that StarOffice doesn't like, or etc., but those are relatively few. StarOffice has proven adept at reading most Office formats. The biggest grumblings with StarOffice come from the fact that it does not easily network-install, unlike my preferred solution, Applix Office. I could not, alas, swing the discussion away from the "but StarOffice is FREE!" talking point. Plus the marketing types love StarOffice because it works like the Microsoft products that they're accustomed to, while Applix works like, well, a Motif/Unix program (which it is, of course).

Anyhow, that's the summary. Linux has proven to be useful and easy to maintain on the desktop because of the ability to make all workstations identical and have all files that differ or that must be backed up live on the server. Our Linux workstations truly are "zero administration" -- the only administration ever done is on the server, which is also the only machine that must be backed up.

The proof in the pudding test has been done -- a failed machine was replaced with a backup spare and within minutes the user was back at work at his desktop with his files, with no information lost. Similarly, when someone tripped over a network cable and broke it, our sales manager could go to the secretary's workstation and log in and be at his desktop until I could track down what was busted. I challenge all advocates of Microsoft solutions to tell me how they could do this with Microsoft products -- WITHOUT buying expensive third-party software or installing anything other than what comes on the operating system or applications software disks.

-- Eric Lee Green