New Trends
If you run Microsoft products, you may have noticed that Microsoft has a "new" licensing scheme in effect as of the end of July 2002. It says basically that you pay for two years of coverage, and if Microsoft releases new software in that time frame, you get all the upgrades to whatever it is you are licensed for. This new licensing makes their products much more expensive to use than before, and gives the customer absolutely nothing in return for that extra money.
The catch is, what if they don't release anything?
Here is an excerpt from their web page: While Microsoft intends to continue to upgrade and enhance its products, Microsoft does not guarantee that a new version of any particular product will be released within any specific period of time. While Microsoft always widely publicizes upgrades, it does not proactively notify all users of a product of an upgrade for a particular product.
Many corporations, some very large ones, are making the switch to this new thing that really isn't that new anymore.
It's called Linux. Linux is a new operating system based on an old concept, UNIX.
What can you do with it? Well, I do everything with it. Linux is powerful enough to replace your entire IT infrastructure. Linux can run very large databases, like Google, for instance. Linux was also used to animate Shrek and Yoda. The movie Titanic also had Linux-generated computer graphics. The US Postal Service uses Linux to sort your mail. More and more, I read articles about how corporations are switching from Microsoft to Linux and saving millions of dollars.
UNIX was invented in 1969 by Ken Thompson, after the abandoned "Multics" project. Between 1972 and 1974 he and Dennis Ritchie rewrote most of it in C. UNIX became the first portable operating system, thanks to this.
Starting in 1990, Linus Torvalds (Pronounced with a short "i") started writing his own kernel with the 386 computer he had. He was a Finnish college student and could not afford to pay for the inferior DOS products that were popular at the time. He also could not afford to buy a copy of Minix which was a UNIX clone for the PC. So, he wrote his own.
He shared it with friends on the internet, and they started adding things to it, then they gave it back to him, and he put it all together. This is still happening today!
In 1983, Richard Stallman created the GNU project. This was a collection of tools, compilers and other programs that one could build a free operating system from. The most important tool was a license. The GNU General Public License guarantees your right to use the software without paying royalties. You might pay for a copy of a CD, or nice pretty manuals, but you can load that CD on as many machines as you want; no per-seat licensing. You also have a right to the source code. The catch is, if you publish modified versions of a GPLd program, you must make the source code available and GPL it.
Microsoft would have everyone believe that this License will infect all of your proprietary copyrighted code and force you to give everything away for free. This is not the case, period. The GNU GPL and proprietary code can live together.
Linus's Linux program, which is a kernel, uses this GNU Public License, so that means if you want to modify it for your own use, then you can!
Many companies have system administrators who know Windows, and dabble with Linux. However, most of them don't have the UNIX knowledge to be confident enough to take the most advantage of these open-source platforms.
Now, major corporations (like Google) are running their mission critical databases and web sites on Linux. Many of my clients run Linux for varying functions and have fabulous success with it.
Dentar, Inc. is an expert with Linux and UNIX, not a dabbler. We can help you get the highest possible return from your Linux installation. Dentar, Inc. can also integrate Linux with your existing Windows network, including sharing with Active Directory.
If you're ready to put your company on the bleeding edge of technology, and reduce your software licensing costs significantly, call Dentar, Inc.
As of 2005, Linux and open source software are no longer considered just trends. Many solutions providers are bringing Linux in through the front door, not the back. Linux is now #2, even ahead of Novell, in new server installs. Linux also has lots of promise for the desktop, especially for clients who need a desktop that is highly customized and spyware resistant.