[NRAO]

Linux 2001

All-in-one version

(Regular [individual slides] version)

Overview

Linux - not just for geeks anymore
Ease of Use: KDE, GNOME
Devices: USB, PCMCIA
Journaled File Systems (Four different ones!)
Applications: StarOffice, WordPerfect, GIMP, ...
Conclusions

Not Just for Geeks Anymore

Easier Installation (Red Hat 7.1, 7.2), better device support (USB)
More Businesses looking at Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Embedded and Real-Time Markets for Linux are soaring.
Better immunity from viruses, Solid Linux Security
User Interfaces rapidly improving (KDE 2.2, Gnome)
IBM invests $1 BILLION in Linux in 2001; laptops to mainframes
HP, Compaq (merging), SGI all heavily vested in Linux
Itanium runs Linux now (has for >1 yr); windows not in beta yet.

Ease of Use: KDE and GNOME

K Desktop Environment (2.2):

Konqueror file-manager/web-browser;
Koffice, Kmail, korganizer (calendar);
Much reduced memory footprint (compared to KDE 1.x)

GNOME; Red Hat Default:

Galeon browser, Nautilus file manager;
Gnome Office, Balsa mail tool, gnomecal, gnumeric;
The GIMP!

These are Desktop Environments. Window manager is separate, e.g.:

sawfish (GNOME default, replaces enlightenment)
kwm (KDE default)
WindowMaker (My favourite!)
FVWM2 (old reliable)

KDE, GNOME tools inter-operate (developers on good terms).
Both are rivals to windows for ease of use, point/click. Different!

Better Device Support

Graphics, Ethernet detection greatly improved
USB: keyboard, mouse, digital cameras, etc.
PCMCIA: ethernet cards, modems, etc. (ether card insertion starts network)
Power Management for laptops

Journaled File Systems (JFS)

EXT3: successor to EXT2, standard Linux filesystem since 1992. Easy conversion forwards and back.
JFS (IBM), same as their AIX filesystem.
XFS (SGI), same as their Irix filesystem.
ReiserFS, significantly different from the above.

Most/all allow large files >2 Gbytes, greatly reduce file system check time, more robust against crashes.

Applications

AIPS, AIPS++, IRAF, IDL (what more could you ask for?!)
Mozilla web browser.
StarOffice (free): word, excel spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations...
(also OpenOffice, StarOffice 6, totally open source)
WordPerfect ($$$): only the best office suite you can buy .
The GIMP (who needs photoshop?)
Thousands of projects at SourceForge and elsewhere.
More commercial apps (CRM, Workflow, Back Office).

Conclusions

Linux replacing Windows in many cases (e.g., City of Largo, Florida)
Hardware consolidation: Pentium, Athlon, Itanium in; Alpha, MIPS, Sparc fading; => Linux is Technical OS of choice.
Security advantages (virus; OS/Window/App/User compartmentalized).
Stability!
Demo: where do you want to go tomorrow?