Robert Pogson

“Any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic” – Clarke’s Third Law

One of the magical things I love about thin client/server setups is that the IT people can watch fewer systems to judge the health of the whole system, preventing information overload. Dave Richards, head guy at Largo, FL, IT system notes that:

“The end user experience is improving too because now we know about issues before they are even noticed.”

I saw that on systems with just a few servers and more than 100 clients. His system is many times more expensive with several times more clients than mine had but the result is the same. One guy using the tools of GNU/Linux can manage a whole system better than with that other OS.

Further, the efficiency of the whole system is amazing. Expand the image in the article and you will see load averages greater than 1.0. Still users get improved performance on his $40K servers compared to thick clients not sharing resources. Essentially Dave can make the servers run under a heavy load instead of having the whole system idling to try to be responsive to users. That comes from using a true multi-user OS designed for the purpose. That other OS is descended from a single-user cripple-ware and is further burdened by the megalomaniacs at M$ trying to control the world instead of empowering users to control their hardware.

see Dave Richards – City of Largo Work Blog: Thin Clients Updated, Support Portal New Features.

Salman Latif wrote,

“the big problem for Acer and other vendors who get their software directly from Microsoft is that there is no other viable alternative. These vendors cannot jump the ship of Windows and move over to another OS just like that. And Microsoft is well aware of that, which is precisely why the software giant launched its own tablets because it knew that its partners don’t have a choice but to continue working with Windows.”

Wake up Salman! It’s not 1995. Today GNU/Linux and Android/Linux are well capable of fulfilling the role. Just ask Dell which is shipping millions of units in China and India with Ubuntu GNU/Linux. Just ask Lenovo who will ship thousands of GNU/Linux units to anyone who requests it. Just ask HP which saw that in 2007 and has continued to sell high-end GNU/Linux client PCs ever since.

Over the last decade there have been huge roll-outs of GNU/Linux in governments and industry all around the world. Brazil, Russia, India, Malaysia and China all have official policies promoting FLOSS and GNU/Linux. OEMs supplying GNU/Linux there are already enjoying a brisk business. OEMs can point consumers, businesses and retailers at those successes to promote a shift to GNU/Linux and there’s nothing M$ can do to stop them. If M$ attempted to become its own OEM of PCs, they would be shut out of highly competitive markets on price alone and delayed years to reach volume. M$’s bank account would be gone in a few years if they tried that. OEMs have been living under tiny margins for a decade thanks to M$. OEMs can produce units more cheaply with GNU/Linux than M$ could produce with that other OS simply because of the bloat and complexity of M$’s software. In a free market, M$ fails.

The OEMs can stand up against M$. They could even boycott M$ entirely and pocket an extra $50 per PC to cover any costs of switching. ISVs would have to scramble to port applications to GNU/Linux but end users could continue to use their current systems for a few months while that happens. Hardware makers are mostly GNU/Linux compatible already. The world can make its own software and does not owe M$ a living.

see Acer Tones Down Statement Against Microsoft And Surface | TheTechJournal.

I recommend Debian GNU/Linux for the revolt. It works for real people, not M$. Debian GNU/Linux is a cooperative product of the world, the right way to do IT.