“The purpose of this paper is to provide analysis on the Linux
operating system along with Open Source software in general.
Discussion will include benefits of the operating system, some of
its downfalls, and the direction where Linux and the Open Source
movement is headed. It is targeted specifically for IT managers and
CIO’s who are considering Linux Distribution rollouts to replace
their existing IT systems. Lastly conclusions and recommendations
will be made. This paper was created primarily as a research paper
however it includes some personal experiences, and experiences
derived from other Linux users.“The whispers of a growing number of Linux desktop platforms
have reached many an IT managers ear, and as the community
continues to grow and blossom it will become a point of hot
contention as companies seek to justify switching to Linux. As a
recent article at LinuxWorld (Gael Duval, 2003, Subheading 3,
Paragraph 1) points out ‘More and more companies are migrating
parts or all of their infrastructure to Linux. They need a system
that is more efficient, more flexible, more open, more robust, and
more customizable. In these challenging economic times, businesses
also need to reduce their total cost of ownership. Linux is
certainly the best solution for all of the reasons stated above,
and more.’ However as with anything new to your IT infrastructure
there are many factors to consider before migrating to
Linux…”