Comment: Will firms adopt desktop Linux?

There have been many stories concerning Linux over the last few months, often detailing how the open-source operating system might become a more serious rival to Microsoft's Windows. But until recently, few industry observers considered that Linux could replace Windows as a client-side desktop platform.

Now, there are growing signs that views are changing, and 2003 could be the year that desktop Linux gains at least some measure of corporate acceptance.

In the server arena, Linux has long been recognised as a reliable and cost-effective operating system, especially for front-end Web server applications.

But running a Web server doesn't require much in the way of a user interface, and Linux got by for many years with little more than the cryptic command-line tools that system administrators and other technical users were content to wrestle with.

The average user is a different matter. One of the principal reasons why Windows has become dominant on desktop systems is because of its user interface - particularly after the release of Windows 95. The Windows desktop shell made it fairly easy for users to learn the basics, find applications and move files around.

But fast-forward to Windows XP, and it is clear that Windows has become an enormously complex body of code. With most firms now running critical applications on servers, IT managers must be wondering why they need such an overblown operating system at the client end, when most users only need to access email, browse the Web and create documents.

Linux has been slowly acquiring the tools it needs to match Windows for ease of use, and several Linux distributors have announced they will offer versions for the office desktop. Suse is the first to start shipping its solution, but releases from Red Hat, Sun and UnitedLinux are expected shortly.

There are now few technical hurdles for Linux to overcome. It is becoming almost as simple to install and configure as Windows, and a great many IT staff have experience dealing with Linux on the server side anyway.

There are also applications for Linux that can meet the everyday needs of users for office productivity tasks.

So are we about to see Linux installations spreading across the corporate landscape? Not quite. Many companies have invested heavily in Windows as well as Windows-based applications, and will be loath to change in the near term unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

Where Linux still falls short in corporate eyes is in the level of technical support available, as many of the Linux distributors simply do not have the resources that Microsoft can muster to support major customers. Then there is also the question of end-user training, which will be required no matter how near Linux comes to Windows in terms of ease of use.

Ironically, though, Microsoft itself may be handing businesses the most persuasive arguments for change. The software giant has been taking an increasingly hysterical attitude towards software licensing, and there are security and reliability problems that have dogged Windows for years.

So while I don't expect to see a lot of firms suddenly ripping out Windows and replacing it wholesale with Linux, I do expect to hear of the open-source operating system being evaluated by IT staff, then quietly rolled out to select groups of desktop users. Watch this space.

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