One of the most serious problems facing larger organizations considering
using Linux and Open Source application stacks is managing the software
environment.
The basic Linux system has adequate tools to manage a single machine, or even
a small group of machines, but once the population of these machines reaches
into the tens and hundreds and spreads across multiple application areas and
multiple locations the management task becomes harder.
When the complete system configuration includes items not directly supported
by the Linux distribution, the tools provided with the system are often not
enough.
Management tasks that become non-trivial for larger installations typically
are:
Configuration management: In larger deployments it's usual to have multiple
defined configurations, each specific to a given task. Each configuration
will typically have loaded only those c... (more)
As anyone who has used Linux systems for production systems knows all too
well, there's an art to arriving at a stable configuration with all
dependencies met. Linux distributors do an excellent job of delivering
systems that meet this criteria, and keeping them there through their update
processes as functionality updates, bug fixes, and security updates get laid
on top of the out-of-the-box system. The amount of work and the success that
they have in delivering both the base distribution and the stream of updates
that follow is widely unappreciated.
When it is appreciated it's... (more)
It has become something of a cliché that Linux has reached a critical point
in its development and adoption. However, this is especially true now when we
look at what events are lined up to occur in the near future, and
particularly in the desktop area.
Perhaps the most visible event is the impending launch of Microsoft's Vista.
Try as they might, this new OS shows every sign of needing hardware
replacement, some user training, and considerable support staff training to
be truly effective in deployment. Particularly note the last two, often cited
as reasons why moving to Linux i... (more)
The OSDL Desktop Linux Working Group (DTL) captures, discusses, publishes and
develops Linux capabilities definitions required by demanding,
enterprise-class desktop applications. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the
use of Linux on enterprise desktops. The DTL Capabilities document is the
work of current OSDL member companies and interested individuals. The purpose
of this document is to provide an external snapshot of the work in progress
to allow feedback from interested parties. When complete these capability
descriptions will be used to evaluate the actual state of the Lin... (more)
Much as some people would like to paint Open Source licensing as a viral
disease that can cause untold problems for innocent software companies, the
truth is a lot less dramatic.
Not a New Problem
Having to deal with "foreign" code under specific and sometimes restrictive
licensing conditions isn't a new problem, nor is it confined to Open Source
code. Many commercial software products contain code written not only by the
companies selling those products but by other companies whose code components
are licensed under different conditions.
The conditions for using third-party code... (more)
Philip Peake is a professional services consultant, and has worked for a variety of companies including Netscape, AOL, Sun Microsystems and OSDL.
David Lucas
Cathy Lopez
Shaul Efraim
Terence Martin Breslin
Cory Marchand
David Hughes
James Carlini
John Iffert
Dan Stolts
Joe Zeto
