Linux on the Desktop: Iron Mountain Foundry

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Linux on the Desktop

Linux on Desktop Making Big Strides
"It looks like I'm going to have to reconsider something I'd been taking for granted -- that Linux on the desktop, and especially the laptop, was a non-starter in the operating systems race. While I wasn't paying sufficient attention, the proverbial tortoise has been playing some serious catch-up." —SiliconValley.com, April 4, 2004

Upgrades make Linux so easy to use
Bottom line: Desktop Linux is friendlier than ever and will do just about everything you need right out of the box. More promising, Linux has proceeded so far so fast that in the next year or two, its few remaining "user-confuser" traits should be gone for good.
—The Seattle Times, March 8, 2004

Most of the effort going into Linux today is focused on Desktop applications. There are far more applications available for Linux than for any other operating system because of its Open Source nature. In fact, the entire information technology infrastructure, from telephone PBX and networks to web services, has already been implemented on Linux systems in businesses.

An excellent study, the Desktop Linux Technology & Market Overview, compares many aspects of Desktop Linux with Microsoft Windows.

Major computer companies are increasing the push towards Linux on the desktop. All IBM employees should have an open-source desktop within two years, according to an internal memo. HP, the world's biggest PC maker, has a large-scale push for Novell's SuSE flavour of Linux on desktops.

The Linux Desktop Summit holds annual conferences with discussions on ways to take advantage of the security and reliability of Linux:

Desktop Linux in the Enterprise
Pushing Desktop Linux into the Mainstream
Roadmap to the Secure Desktop

PC World magazine (February 2004) has a report on "The Linux Experiment" with this evaluation of the most popular desktop applications:

Software	Linux program	Comments
Office suite	OpenOffice.org	A great alternative to Microsoft Office, with all the tools you expect from a robust suite. However, some tasks took extra clicks, and some features (such as tracking changes) were a little cumbersome.
E-mail client	Ximian Evolution	The program looked and behaved uncannily like Microsoft Outlook, and it worked like a charm.
Browser	Mozilla	No contest here: Mozilla in Linux ran perfectly and felt the same as Mozilla in Windows.
Instant messaging	GAIM	This all-purpose program worked seamlessly with AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and others. Unlike some Windows clients, it won't do video or voice chats.
Simple image editor	Flphoto	Allowed easy, basic improvements to images; it also arranges photos into albums and creates slide shows. Offered far fewer options than do Photoshop Elements and Paint Shop Pro.
Personal finance	GnuCash	A very intuitive program with a clean interface, it provides all the essential tools to manage your money.