[ Thanks to Kelly
McNeill for this link. ]
“Linux will not only change the way you use your computer,
but will change the entire way computers are used. Linux provides
opportunities to the desktop not offered by Microsoft’s family of
Operating Systems. Even the much beloved Macintosh OS cannot
give the same experience as using Linux on the desktop. Linux will
change the way computers work because it has qualities that no
other operating system has ever had, it is a free, open OS, that
runs equally well as a server OS, embedded OS, and desktop OS.
Linux customizability to the needs of the user, makes it an
invaluable resource. But why does this mean Linux will change the
way we use computers? Linux will change the way we use computers
because it cuts out the middleman, by making only the server and
the “appliance” necessary.”
“I am not advocating that we return to a mainframe environment,
nor am I insisting that you sell all your computers to jump on the
Internet appliance ship. I am simply protesting that it is a
massive waste of resources for a business to provide every user
with a $2,000+ workstation and then add server machines on top of
that just to manage those workstations. It is also a waste of
resources to throw away all your computers every 3 years and buy
new ones to hold the latest incarnation of Microsoft. With Linux,
organizations can have the best of both worlds, they can run
inexpensive Internet appliances on a free operating system and
connect to a server (or a Beowulf cluster) to run any application
they need. The company will save thousands of dollars on software
costs alone, not to mention the hardware cost they will save not
having to upgrade to a brand new Pentium V 8000s come 2003.”