Management
Technology
- Applications
- Business Intelligence
- Development
- Hardware
- Mobile & Wireless
- Networking
- Internet
- Operating Systems
- Security Products
- Servers & Datacentre
- Storage
Toolbox
Training
Books
White Papers
Webcast
Resource Centre
Open source heresy, Splashtop and Windows
December 10, 2008
A business plan to ease out Microsoft
Posted by: John Spencer
The dispersal of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) is the stated role of this blog and most of the time this author attempts to do so through plain, simple, out and out advocacy of Free, Open Source software.
Today, though, I am going to attempt a balanced approach and do something tantamount to heresy. I am going to say that sometimes it's ok to use Windows.
Yes I know it's just this condescending attitude of 'penguinistas' that really gets up people's noses but I have been playing with various ASUStek products recently and have discovered Linux Splashtop and The Eee Box desktop PC. The reason for the 'Windows' statement will become clear as we go on.
The Eee Box was delivered with Windows XP pre-installed on its 160gb hard drive but still cost only £169 + vat and delivery (is XP being given away these days?). But my mistake of leaving the sound on during boot up whilst working in the office is part of the reason that I am writing this post whilst in hiding: thank goodness for 3G and Google Docs.
Splashtop
My Windows boot-up jingle-crime was compounded with subsequent actions but before I go into these a brief word about SplashTop....cooool. Splashtop is a cut-down Linux that is increasingly being shipped embedded into motherboards. Asus are first to do this with their ExpressGate boards and now offers Splashtop on most everything from humblest Atom CPU-hosting boards to mighty QuadCore jobs.
Splashtop may be the truly revolutionary super-fast micro-Linux that I singularly failed to mention in a recent roundup of speedy Linux distros. The first useful software every computer user will encounter after switching on will be Linux. They then can choose to boot into their chosen full operating system be it Windows, Mac or Linux..or of course not bother at all.
The whole point of Splashtop is that you can be 'web-apping' (as I am on Google Docs now) or Skyping 28 secs from a cold boot even on a small Atom powered 20 watt PC; ten seconds is possible with beefier boards! Linux on every motherboard is now a real probability... as is turning off your computer when not using it. Given just how much power computers use on standby this is a real plus.
Booting the Asus Eee Box into its installed Windows XP OS was a much slower process but I had a cunning plan for my school customers. Unfortunately I now compounded my jingle-crime with all out heresy.
Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) on Windows
It took only minutes to strip off most of the pre-installed proprietary software, MS Works (? God help us) for example had to go but I left Notepad and Mediaplayer.
On went: Open office 3.0 (office productivity suite); The Gimp 2.6 (graphics manipulation); Inkscape (vector drawing); Scribus (DTP); Audacity (music editing); Firefox (web browsers); Thunderbird (e-mail client), Pidgin (Instant Messsenger), ClamAV (anti-virus: which you need because it's Windows) together with a pretty wallpaper.
What more could anyone want? All the applications of note are Free, Open Source Software.
Jump to page : [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
Follow highlights from ComputerworldUK on Twitter
Sign up for our Daily Newsletter
The UK IT News widget Get it for your site!
<<newer entry | back to blogs index | older entry>>
Advert
Email this article to a friend or colleague:
PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story, and in case of transmission error. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.
- This article is now being printed.
What are your views on this subject? Use the form below to post a comment on this article up to 1000 characters.
Click below to add 'Open source heresy, Splashtop and Windows' to your blog.
If you do not have a ComputerworldUK Account and would like to use this feature, please Register.
If you are a registered, logged-in user, this will post the title and first paragraph of this story to your blog to share with your readers.
Advert
Newsletters
Sign up to our Weekly Round-Up for the past week’s not-to-be-missed news analysis and insight delivered straight to your inbox.
WHITE PAPERS
-
Legal risks: Employee use of the internet and email
Exploring the challenges facing IT Mangers today and vital steps to ensure safe internet an email use by employees. -
Phishing for victims
This White Paper examines the phenomenon of phishing. It explains the potentially catastrophic threat it presents to all kinds of organisation. Exploding some widespread myths, it lights up the murky waters where phishing first emerged and where it continues to evolve. But it also highlights what your business can do to blunt the threat.
About the author
John Spencer Written by staff at Sirius Corporation, the Open Source services group, this blog seeks to dispel any FUD around the use of Open Source software in the Enterprise and provide perspectives on business, economics, politics, philosophy and the environment.
Comments received
Sammydog said on Thursday, 11 December 2008
I get it, if you are a web-app'er you may as well get on (the net) as quickly as possible..so use a Linux OS to quickboot; if you are a desktop-app'er you may as well use the same free, open source apps on an OS of your choice...it matters not which.
I reckon then if you genuinely had a choice you would be using Linux 50% of the time... assuming you did not bias choice towards features such as 'free' and 'virus free'.