ja_mageia

My first thoughts on day 1 of the Linuxworld conference in London are rather mixed, but with a very positive undertone. Mixed because I came with a number of expectations that weren't met; while I did discover quite a few things I did not count on.

The elements where Linux still seems to struggle is in providing 'ordinary' (I mean that in a positive way) users an obvious desktop solution. With various desktop flavors trying to catch the eye, nobody seems to focus on showing which functionalities they offer. From personal experience I know it is possible to perform all essential office and business tasks with Linux, which makes the lack of some clear showcases all the more frustrating.

On the backend/server market there is not much of a contest left. Almost all major server suppliers provide very robust, scalable and secure Linux solutions. The positive, unexpected news regards the fact that at least some of the big IT players are starting to put a considerable effort into supplying the desktop users with a Linux alternative. There are also more and more services and consulting companies offering implementation and continuity support on open source applications. My goal is to make Quartz Crystal Consulting one of the better open source service providers.

In tomorrow's day 2 contribution I will give some concrete examples of how open source is quickly becoming a viable desktop alternative.