“Perhaps the biggest issue faced by Linux when it comes to
application support, is nothing to do with Linux but is more about
Microsoft. MS Office has become the de facto platform for word
processing and spreadsheets… This would be the end of the story
if it were not for StarOffice, now owned by Sun Microsystems, which
can read (and write) MS Office files.
“For those looking for a one-word answer on whether Linux is an
appropriate operating system for the corporate desktop, the answer
is currently no. Despite the best efforts of Corel, Red Hat,
Caldera and other companies, configuration and maintenance of a
Linux desktop still requires more work than is desirable.”
“Now for the good news, at least for the Linux community.
Efforts are ongoing to simplify and improve the desktop
capabilities of Linux (such as those tabled to be included in the
2.4.x Linux kernel) as well as its management as a corporate asset.
… Windows 2000, when it is released over the coming months, may
prove to be too resource-hungry for existing corporate desktops.
As its desktop capabilities improve Linux will certainly rank
as a viable alternative.”