From: "Patrick Grote" <pgrote@i1.net>
To: <lwn@eklektix.com>
Subject: CompuNotes Followup on Linux in the SOHO Market
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 09:27:51 -0500


CompuNotes
Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing
September 5, 1998
Issue 128

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The Linux Fallacy Continued

	I'd like to start by saying "welcome" to the new members of the zealot
community, the Linux supporters! Yes, this hardy group of folks join
their legendary companions from the Mac and OS/2 camps in forming a new
defition of zealot. Based on the mail I received Linux zealots are a
notch above Mac zealots, but lag behind the OS/2 zealots.
	If you'd like to see my original column and the responses it generated
send an email to LINUX@COMPUNOTES.COM (mailto:linux@compunotes.com) and
an autoresponder will send you a ZIP file with the correspondence. I did
respond to each and every one of the letters I got which were coherent.
Some of the authors wanted me to perform animal acts which are illegal
in all states but Arkansas, so I decided not to respond to them.
	The response was pretty tame until I started getting super flamed. I
then found out my column made it's way onto the Linux Weekly News site.
(http://lwn.net/1998/0827/a/compunotes.html) That is when the heat started
and the loons started coming out of their holes. I was happy to see that
Linux Weekly news follwed the proper reprint procedure! Thanks, LWN!
	Believe it or not there were a couple of people who agreed with me and
a couple others who wanted to have a rational discussion of the topic.
For the majority of those writing it, let's review some things about me:

1) I don't work for Bill Gates, kiss any part of Bill Gates' anatomy nor
am I the illegitimate child of Bill Gates.
2) Yes, my primary OS on my workstation is Windows 95.
3) Yes, I use Office 97.
4) Yes, my primary server is a Windows NT box running Exchange and IIS.
5) Yes, I have run Linux in the past.
6A) The column was based solely on Linux moving into the SOHO market and
becoming mainstream. Most of the zealots missed this point entirely.
6B) The zealots also missed that I said, "Linux is a good product. It is
an excellent tool to make certain things happen."
7) Yes, I know you can run various shells and GUIs on Linux.

	After reading the mail I did get a couple of things wrong:

1) I misspelled Ray Noorda's name.
2) There is a TEACH YOURSELF LINUX IN 24 HOURS BOOK. I found it on
Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672311623/qid=904753382/sr=1-1/0
02-5215687-2253057. I was still correct, though, as my local bookstore
didn't have it.

	That's it, though. The rest of what I said I still stand by. The two
areas people hit me hard on were support and available applications.
	Everyone told me that Linux support was superior for two reasons: 1)
Usenet and 2) Caldera/RedHat. Testimony from each user in favor of
Usenet was so similiar I began to wonder if they got together and
decided to use a standard response. Yes, Usenet is wonderful. Yes, you
can reach actual developers for help. Yes, you can access it 24 hours a
day. What they aren't seeing when looking at Linux support is that the
Usenet has its flaws for the SOHO/mainstream users.
	First, how many newbies can send a Usenet message let alone configue
their own PPP connection? Usenet isn't like picking up a phone and
talking to someone.
	Second, Usenet is hardly reliable. What if your ISP resets their
pointers? What if DejaNews is inaccessible for a period of time. What if
the spam zealots decide to rule in favor of a death penalty for your
ISP? What if the information you do receive is wrong?
	There have to be two keys to support -- accessibility and reliability.
Users have to be able to easily access the support and it must be
reliable.
	Third party companies such as Caldera and RedHat seem to meet those two
criteria. They are accessible by phone and they are reliable as they
have full time staff. Caldera's hours of support are 8:00am to 5:00pm
Mountain time. Do people really live in Mountain time? If you are on the
west coast, it's 7:00pm and your server dies Caldera can't help you.
What if you need someone onsite? Caldera can't help you, but RedHat can.
	I will admit I was pretty excited when I came across RedHat's
Commercial Support Providers list. Maybe I had been wrong. Maybe there
was a silent majority of computer consultants waiting and able to help
SOHO users. As I picked the United States I found out you're in business
if you live in Austin, TX, Gold River, CA, Boulder, CO or Norcross, GA.
(http://www.redhat.com/support/provider-list.phtml) If you live outside
these areas I guess you could always fly them in.
	I had heard from several people concerning the Linux Professionals
Association, but I was unable to find a website for them.
	Applications was an area where the zealots didn't try to tread heavily.
Many of them spit out a rash of internet/server based applications. Why?
I have no idea as my original article didn't mention anything about
server based. It was under the topic of applications where the more
moderate Linux folks actually agreed.
	Some attempted to point me to accounting packages on the net. Calling
the software they pointed me to an accounting package is like calling
the St. Louis Rams a professional football team. (Oh, that's right, they
are . . .) You get what I am trying to say . . .
	Many rationalized the fact they use Linux on the desktop by saying they
didn't need access to the applications availble on a Windows 95/98
platform. I did enjoy one letter that detailed why the writer still used
certain Windows applications.
	SOHO users will not find many choices in desktop software if they
choose Linux.
	What have I learned from this column? I spelled Ray Noorda's name
wrong. I've also learned that people will see every problem as a nail if
all they have is a hammer. Instead of trying to force Linux as a
solution for every computing issue the focus should be on highlighting
what Linux does well and buidling on it. Very few of the messages I
received touted Linux's superiority in reliability, configurability or
network functionality. More of the messages touted the average desktop
applications, non-traditional support and developer-centric environment.
	(On a computing note I am up in the air on whether to buy a dedicated
print server
(http://netgear.baynetworks.com/products/ds_ps104/index.shtml) or go
with a low powered Linux server. Netgear has come out with a box that'll
support two parallel port printers for $160.00. If I decide to build a
Linux machine what else can I use it for? I have an ISDN router, so I
don't need a proxy server. I use Exchange as my internal email system,
so I don't need a mail system. I use Windows NT as my file and current
print server. What fun thing can I do with the Linux server? Control my
lights? Take the dog out for a walk? This is your chance to tell me why
Linux would be a better choice than a dedicated print server. I got the
Pentium 100 and 32 megs of RAM you got the ideas! Got any ideas? Send
them to pgrote@compunotes.com (mailto:pgrote@compunotes.com). The best
idea wins a very cool prize!)


Patrick Grote, pgrote@i1.net

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