Novell Headed To Linux Enterprise Desktop In Asia 145
Bill Kendrick writes "Novell's Asia-Pacific division is working on Linux desktop trials in Hong Kong and Malaysia, with the expectation that Linux's adoption on enterprise desktops will continue to grow. They expect many more companies to start embracing it within the next 12 months." A spokesperson from Novell comments: "I don't see it as a watershed where everybody's running Linux desktops, but you'll start to see the emergence of some examples of companies that have embraced Linux and are going down that path."
More to embrace than meets the eye (Score:5, Insightful)
Can't do business if you can't share information.
Partnering for a domestic content rating? (Score:5, Insightful)
Novell on the move (Score:5, Insightful)
China will love them, what with the red colour scheme and all...
East great place to start (Score:5, Insightful)
Asian Markets... (Score:5, Insightful)
This appears to me to be another part of the trend of companies salivating over the numbers...(Ooohh, 500 Quadrillion-Billion-Monillion people in China, thats a lot more than America!)
just maybe (Score:1, Insightful)
I think it'll be another decade until Linux is firmly on the desktop, and I don't think we should start introducing it to the average desktop user for another 5yrs yet.
Like a fine wine, it will mature in time.
Re:Partnering for a domestic content rating? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Asian Markets... (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, once the market in Asia is set up that it predominantly runs Linux - I think there will be a huge market that opens up for custom software for Linux, that could be a boon to the US economy - selling custom code and service to the large economies of Asia.
And since Linux is free, and represents Freedom, maybe the people there will realize how great freedom is and want more of it.. putting pressure on the tinhorn communist dictators that run the region.
Exporting freedom and capitalism never hurts...
Apps for Linux desktop (Score:5, Insightful)
1. TurboTax 2002 Deluxe
2. Norton Antivirus 2003
3. Turbo Tax 2002
4. Norton Antivirus 2004
5. TurboTax 2002 Multi State 45
6. Taxcut 2002 Deluxe Block
7. Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade
8. Microsoft Office XP Student and Teacher Edition
9. Taxcut 2002 State Block
10. Norton Internet Security 2003
You can see that tax software is huge thing for a bunch of people to have on their desktop. Office suite is another. Internet security (not just antivirus, but user-friendly firewall, port manager and other utilities).
Office is pretty much covered with OpenOffice, so that's done. As for Internet security tools, I am not sure which ones exist for the end user, but perhaps industry could come up with some.
Tax software. Is there a good tax package for Linux, allowing those millions of accountants, small business owners and middle-class Joe's like you and me file their taxes?
Out of free (of charge) software that is getting huge market share of desktop, what would the Linux equivalent of:
- Kazaa
- Real Player
- ICQ/AIM (ok, Gaim is a good alternative)
Baby steps please! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Apps for Linux desktop (Score:0, Insightful)
You can see that tax software is huge thing for a bunch of people to have on their desktop.
Yeah, sure, if you're living in a ass-backwards country where you really have to calculate your taxes yourself.
There are countries where this is done where they have all the needed information.. taxation office.
Re:Partnering for a domestic content rating? (Score:5, Insightful)
Run on over to Novell's website and look at their press releases. Novell has been involved in creating the whole chinese infrastucture
I ask this with all respect and seriousness: "Are you on dope?" No, what I mean is that I took your comment on good faith and went to look at the Novell web page. The only thing on the Press Releases web page is the press release from today, March 1st. And there's nothing on the Corporate Press Releases page even remotely related to China. Under International Press Releases there isn't even a section for China. Did you think I'd be too lazy to check their web site on your suggestion?
Now as for being wrong, I'm not. China is well aware that their infrastructure is based on Cisco hardware and Intel-based PCs and Microsoft software. That's why you see things like the Dragon chip and threats of domestic software quotas. China wants to transition their population from importing these technologies from western companies and develop them locally. Whether it be Novell or Microsoft, China doesn't want to import all their technology from a potentially hostile nation. You know, a nation with a pre-emptive strike policy?
And furthermore, how can anyone with a straight face say that Novell can sweeten the deal for the Chinese government by offering IP? We're talking Linux on the desktop here, what IP does Novell control that has relevance to Linux on the desktop???
Home also... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Apps for Linux desktop (Score:3, Insightful)
I once made a $50 math mistake on my 1040 tax return. Even though the error was in THEIR favor, the IRS notified me. I was surprised and grateful, but this just demonstrates that since they are going to double-check my 1040, there was really NO reason for me to waste my time in the first place! >:-\
Re:Partnering for a domestic content rating? (Score:2, Insightful)
I apologize for the crappiness of the press room. It was once a far more intelligently designed place to gather information. But as you can see there is plenty of news on Novell's site relating to China and their rapid adoption of Novell services.
As for Novell sweetening the deal, I never said that. As for Linux on the desktop, take a look at Both E-Directory and Zenworks. Both have very direct impacts on the desktop both Linux based and Windows based.As for China dealing with U.S. companies; Do you honestly think China is of the mind that U.S. companies act like the U.S. government? Seriously, they don't give a ten shakes about Bush's foreign policy, China actually has very little to fear from Bush as he knows all his corporate interests want decent relations with China. If they did care about that policy why would they have and still implement Cisco products? Why would they be importing our technology both legally and semi-legally?
Re:Apps for Linux desktop (Score:2, Insightful)
Even Firewall distros like smoothwall lack features I'd expect in a corporate firewall. EG, (for Smoothwall) the capability to block outgoing ports - blocking outgoing port 25 for anything other than the company mail relay(s) should be one of the first entries in a ruleset in these days of spam-relaying malware.
Re:It's 2004... (Score:2, Insightful)
Why? Mostly willful ignorance. I know a bunch of people who bought Dodge Neons late in the game despite the fact the Lemon Aid guide has been panning them for years. Guess what happened? The cars were always in the shop, I had to give a boost to another one, and another person resold their Neon pretty quickly. That's a BIG purchase.
Look in the grocery baskets at the grocery store. See what people are buying. It's mostly crap and not always cheaper crap.
Look at walmart. Can you find decent quality footwear there? Try putting on a pair of cheap shoes and you can see why so many people who shop there look so fat. Walking is painful. I bought a good pair of leather shoes years ago and had them resoled and quality inserts put in them. They've saved me money over the years and they are incredibly comfortable.
Why should anyone care who is using Linux? The Toyota Camry has one of the lowest driver death ratings per million of cars out there... but plenty of people buy the worst cars (Cavalier, Neon, and surprisingly, SUV's and cheap pickups! etc.)
I use Linux on two systems and my wife uses it on one system. I'm not even going to broach the topic with my parents. My brother has an iBook (I got a faster used Thinkpad and threw Linux on it and saved a lot and I don't have any weird screen problems with white dots like he and so many other iBook people have)
People don't buy based on quality or safety. When I bought a whitebox system from a local retailer my father looked cross and said... "Why didn't you buy a Dell?" and I said, "Why the hell would I?" Considering he knows nothing about computers but he watches a lot of tv, where do you suppose he got that idea? Maybe if IBM and Novell want to advertise Linux, that'll probably do the most good.
It's not the elitism of the "linux community" and how dare you lump everyone who uses Linux in the same label. That's like saying all blacks are the same in a community and all Pakistanis are the same. Geez. Try visiting forums.gentoo.org and you'll see how helpful people are on a daily basis even with the most basic and repeated questions.
Re:It's 2004... (Score:3, Insightful)
Microsoft is a convicted, largely unregulated monopoly. They use this power to force computer makers to put Windows on every system they ship. Then, when "grandma" or "Joe Average" buys the computer, they have no desire to replace what came on it with something else. This perpetuates the Micorsoft empire and will be VERY difficult for Linux to break.
I have moved my family to Linux. They all love KDE, from my non-tech wife down to my 6 year-old. I have helped others make an informed choice as to what OS they want to use and few have any problems using Free Software on a day to day basis.
It's just that most people don't know they have a choice and Microsoft does the best it can to make sure they don't find out.
Re:Asian Markets... (Score:3, Insightful)
There is NOTHING intuitive about current input devices and methods.
What you MEAN is:
"It's like the previous version"
Re:It's 2004... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's called... (Score:4, Insightful)
I think the major failure is getting the word out to people that linux is just like windows in terms of usability with environments like KDE and Gnome; now we just need the application and driver vendors supporting linux like they support windows.
It's all in the marketing man. Marketing is key. It has nothing to do with this supposed "elitism" you speak of. Elitism is a thing of the 90s. I don't see vendors like Mandrake, Xandros, Lin---s, etc. being "elitist" towards their users.
We need someone with a lot of money, and we need to get the word out in as many places as possible.
Aye, there's the rub! We need money to advertise, and yet, money is only made once the operating system is quite popular (i.e. on support, etc.). So, someone is going to have to invest in it; and with the recent bursting of the bubble, investment has gone wayyy down, RIGHT when linux became really viable on the desktop!
Just great, eh? Oh well, I'm hopeful that with IBM's efforts and others, things will come around eventually.
It's ok man, and remember, market dominance isn't everything.
Re:Asian Markets... (Score:3, Insightful)
The problem is that most of these Asian countries that are heavily into piracy have to show the WTO that they are "making an effort" to curb software piracy. The easiest way to do this is to cut down on the prevalence of software piracy by government agencies. If the governments themselves can show that they no longer pirate software then that goes a long way towards keeping the company out of trouble with the WTO.
Microsoft thought that these government agencies would cut down on software piracy by purchasing Microsoft software. However, these countries can't really afford to license their pirated software, and so they are looking at using Free Software instead.
Since the governments of these countries own the bulk of the computer resources this is a very big deal. As these economies grow and computers spread computer users will find that they will need to use Linux and Free Software to be compatible with the government software.
Re:In Capitalism, man exploits man...[*] (Score:2, Insightful)
Capitalism does not have to be as cold as you make it out to be, there are plenty of ways to make a shit load of money without instilling fear in your employees. (Note Indians will soon be in the same boat when other cheaper nations come around).
Re:Why Linux dominates fucked-up contries (Score:3, Insightful)
Here's why - most of the world is 'fucked up' by your definition.
In the majority of economies, those in power use that power to enrich themselves by any means at their disposal, whether by bribery or embezzlement.
I've struggled to see where OSS can fit into this model, but you have shown how corrupt elites can prosper from OSS while not adversely impacting the OSS movement.
All we need now is for Halliburton, EDS and the large consulting firms that play the part of the oligarchy in the West to catch on to this business model, and OSS will prosper worldwide.
There - you're not flamebait, but you've missed the key means by which OSS will gain a foothold in the 'developed' economies.
Re:More to embrace than meets the eye (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes, my friend, we have all asked ourselves that question at one point or another - since when, indeed, does Microsoft give a flying frip?
a question for the ages.