Deploying Linux on Machines of Non-Technical Users – Yay or Nay?
May 24, 2009 by Clair Ching
Filed under Questions
If you’re working in a small company and you suddenly need to hire ten people in one go, you might catch yourself gasping because you don’t have enough computers for all these new people. You might have to purchase an additional 4 units. Ack. And licenses, yes? In some places, license for software can cost more than the actual computer and if you multiply the cost… It could be quite daunting. Some people turn to Linux when they realize that they might be better off with it. But you see, it does depend on the tasks that each person has to perform.
The article Deploy Linux desktops for non-technical users, says study points out that deploying Linux desktops is easier if you have non-technical users. If you have users who mainly have to use only several apps and they’re stuff that are available in repositories anyway, then Linux and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) could be good for them. Users who are solid Windows users are the ones who are more difficult to convince to switch because they will most likely resist the changes.
The article spawned comments asking about the tools to manage a huge amount of Linux desktops. One comment contained a link to the article asking where the enterprise management tools are in Linux. As some of my co-workers and online buddies pointed out that there are tools in Linux but not all of them are point and click ones. And that’s one issue that makes it appear that there are no such tools.
Anyhow, in my experience, I’ve seen co-workers adapt to their Linux machines well. They would complain sometimes but some of the issues they encounter are the things that might be difficult to fix if you really are new to Linux and not very interested in it either — examples include printer driver and configuration and SSD failure. In any case, it is doable to deploy Linux-powered machines if you know your users well enough to help them focus on their tasks.
In your case, do you think it is doable? Why or why not?
It is doable. MNost of the users actually don’t care if you present the case well. Don’t scare them with scary words like Linux. Just give them desktop and tell them that menu is not on the bottom but on the top (in the case of Gnome). Believe it or not, so many people won’t even notice a difference in the first hour.
About installing printer drivers and similar stuff… well you’ll have to do it yourself or have somebody to do it. But then, if you were running Windows it would be the same. Currently, Ubuntu and other user-oriented distros are doing better job with common drivers than Win. Truth is that common office user doesn’t know much about Win either. So it really doesn’t make the difference to them as long as they know what are the names of the applications they need.