Migrating a business from MS to Linux

[Palemoon]

Well I'll throw my .01 in here. After just spending a chunk of change to lock the business I work for into W2K on license issues that cover growth for about 2 years. The cost of furture MS licenses have gotten to the point of a major overhead operating cost. While I finish up the W2K server issues consider several changes taking place. Business I support is Engineering part of that is Gov both state and federal projects and both are moving their default method of exchange of Info to a dot PDF. Adobe is supporting this now look forward to when AutoCad follows suit. Here is the thing at least in AE (Arch/Engineering) their are those boiler plate contract clauses none call out now for XP and some contracts exceed MS upgrade time what now it's 2 years? Lots of dot Gov state federal are moving to Linux also. So look at all the factors for your client there is right now AbiWord that can during my test so far take a dot Doc and read it be edited and saved back and the formatting stays the same. Roll out Linux server side first, one of my servers from the upgrade did not purchase a W2K it is going to Be linux and a slow roll out with what works. Have your clients review their production needs and the format of electronic information then all the programs they use and what is required by contracts and the options they may hold. Believe me there is not a Boiler Plate Spec out there now that requires a XP anything. MS lost the point small business's as in under 500 employees are 95 % of the business out there, Let ATT, Verison roll out XP our company will never touch it, we know our business not MS. And face it Bill Gates did not invent DOS, has no vision, is just good at making myth as a good customer many years they never asked me what our business needed, they have told us enough...thanks MS LOL Information Super Highway Bill..he has never been will never be cool..rich yes...cool nope! Review the contracts and their specs

[Palemoon]

Some Apps URL's
http://www.abisource.com/ Good word processor
http://www.lycoris.com/ Good DeskTop GUI and programs

These I am rolling out and testing on a different network was we move from W2K and I have lots to look forward to in those two years being M$ free

[5amYan]

Thought about OS X for work stations?
I mean who define user friendly. Flat line learninig curve.
I mean a dept. at a time... they run MS Office and many BigCo softs.
Plus they face a *N*X backend nicely)
Just a thought.

[ExEleven]

Servers can be replaced by Linux, domain controllers can be easily replaced by E-smith server, but workstations will have to run windows, it's a hell of a job to have all the people who do administration etc to switch to a Linux enviroment, besides not all programs are available for linux (yet)

WWWWWWWWWHAT! I use Linux for most of my stuff except those games that Microsoft have bribed the developers of too make them more money!
Office Software: Sun staroffice www.sun.com Openoffice www.openoffice.org Abiword www.abisource.org
Browsing: www.mozilla.org P2P: www.limewire.com
Desktops: www.gnome.org www.ximian.com www.kde.org
Operating Systems themselfs: www.linux.org www.freebsd.org www.apple.com www.sun.com
There is more information on this at various anti microsoft sites such as www.windows-sucks.com

I Hope i can be of great service of you and helping get of that Windows program...
Might i inquire, Why was Microsoft Software on the Servers on the first place?

[souleman]

I am in the process of doing this at my company. We are starting by replacing the servers. Already done a couple of database servers. The next is our main file server/domain controller, which will be replaced with a linux samba server. Then the email server will be replaced with postfix.

After the servers, then come the desktops. There are only 2 programs that we haven't found linux equivalents for. 1 is MS Access (which sucks anyway). Threre are plenty of database programs, I just need one that will convert access files, so I don't have to rewrite a couple dozen databases. The second is AutoCAD. We are actually testing a couple of different programs right now, and may have found one that will work. By the end of this year, this entire company will be Microsoft free.....

[Ratman2]

Workstation Migration can be a PITA. I migrated my Mom over to FreeBSD/KDE and I can't find any of the plugins for Netscape gold 3.04. All she really needs is Netscape and WINE to run some Windows stuff. Guys, help me fix it up or I may not be here anymore cause I may be in a body bag .