Re: IBM Tones Down Linux

[John Myers <psumba@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jeff,

This isn''t a direction change ... it is a realization of the power
that Microsoft has ... and the lack of applications / support for a
non-Microsoft desktop ... and a realization that *nix-based technology
is much more complex to administer.

It's one thing to say "let's change our desktop standard" ... it's
something else to actually get it done ... if IBM can't do it, what
are the chances that ANYONE else could?

For starters, consider what is involved in "retooling" a MS support
staffer to Linux ... in most cases, you are talking about complete
re-education (assuming they are willing to change)!  Next comes
assembling Linux-based applications that meet the corporate needs
(including exchanging information with the outside world and internal
users not yet migrated).  Finally, there is the massive user
re-education, migration, and dealing with all needs that weren't
uncovered in the initial analysis.

Miscosoft Office is the real killer ... IBM should have learned that
with its experiences with the Lotus Desktop applications.  Unless you
can communicate flawlessly in both directions with MS-defined file
formats, you can't speak to the rest of the world (hey, I still have
the Lotus suite on my laptop ... but haven't getten a Lotus formatted
file from IBM in years)!

BTW:  I hope that Sam consulted with his CIO before announcing this
... Didn't they know that much of the IBM web-world is IE-only
territory!!!

Maybe I should buy some MS stock (in addition to that in my 401k
mutual funds) ... as an IBM stockholder, I feel a big "ouch" each time
I read something like this!

John


On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 09:52:16 -0500, Jeff Crosby
<jlcrosby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Check this out:
> 
> http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/linux/story/0,10801,99346,00.
> html
> 
> Does this mean IBM is going to change direction?  Again? <g>
> 
> --
> Jeff Crosby