Linux download manager

Living with Linux

Only a few months ago, just whispering "Linux" would practically guarantee a conversational firestormat geek cocktail parties, that is. But all that has mostly changed. The Linux jihad has calmed, and this open-source operating system has assumed a more staid though valuable role as a viable corporate OS alternative.

Server Power

Server processing is where Linux began, and this still remains the largest chunk of Linux's market share. Our long-standing Red Hat Linux 6.2 server combines the talents of a Web and e-mail server. Using Unix Apache 1.2 and Sendmail Pro, our Red Hat 6.2 server had run without a single hiccup for over seven months. Despite the fact that the server is based around a somewhat venerable Dell Dimension unit equipped with a 400-MHz Pentium II, 96MB of RAM, and 3GB of hard drive space, we've never seen a hint of a performance glitcheven during stress testing. Version 7.0, however, is considered by many to be a buggy release, and our recent upgrade introduced a series of instabilities.

This is Linux's chief attraction to IT managers: Once properly configured, Linux becomes a plug-and-forget operating system. Its ability to run quickly over aging hardware and scale to large numbers of users without system manager intervention makes Linux an excellent choice for core chores such as Web serving, Internet and e-mail gateways, and file and print serving.

In addition, the open-source community has made a great effort to increase Linux's ease of use, with Red Hat 7 representing the latest release. The new automated installation routine, for example, installs almost as easily as Microsoft Windows NT; you also get an informative CD stuffed with documentation (though it could benefit from some organization). All in all, Linux has become only slightly more complex than Windows NT and probably no more so than Windows 2000 Server.

An IT manager's last reservation might be the availability of technical support. In the past, technical support really meant just Linux newsgroups. But today, commercial distributions such as Red Hat run round-the-clock technical-support lines; Red Hat 7 introduced the Red Hat Network, which is a centralized software update facility that keeps your Linux server running the latest software automatically. Hardware companies that sell Linux-based machines are also a good tech-support betincluding Compaq, Dell, HP, and IBMas well as Linux-only shops such as Penguin Computing and VA Research.

A Rocky Desktop

Although Linux on the server is a solid bet, Linux on the desktop remains a mixed bag. For independent power users, however, Linux is a fine choice. We generally run copies of Caldera OpenLinux 2.3 and Corel Linux attached to test-bed networks to monitor this capability.

Initially, these systems were surprisingly easy to install. Over time, however, we've upgraded componentsincluding a video subsystem and sound and network cards. Finding and installing drivers for these components ranged from easy to downright frustrating. For example, we had problems when we tweaked the new ATI Rage 128 video card.

Another long-standing problem with desktop Linux has been a lack of viable applications. Again, for independent power users, this really isn't a problem anymore. You'll find at least four office productivity suites for Linuxincluding those from Applix, Corel, IBM, and Star Division Corp. In addition, many core Linux applications have become mature enough to compete easily with their counterparts in the commercial world, including the GIMP image processor and EMAC's development editor.

For those who just have to run a Windows application, you can look into VMware 2.0 ($299 direct, download version). VMware builds a virtual x86 computer inside your Linux machine, allowing you to run any x86-compatible OS under Linuxwithout dual booting. Though you'll need a fairly muscled machine, we found VMware to be a real boon once it was running smoothly.

Does this mean Linux is ready for the corporate desktop? Probably not for many folks, though we'll say that this idea is no longer completely crazy. With easier installation routines, stable hardware, and at least some productivity software choices, you can make a go of it with Linux on the executive desk. Then you could give older desktop hardware a new lease on lifeas well as saving a pretty penny on raw software costs.

The drawback, however, is a lack of tightly integrated GUI-based desktop management tools for IT professionalstools such as automatic software distribution and updates, or remote diagnostics. These capabilities exist with Linux, but they're mostly command-line-based. You'll also need to retrain most desktop users, because Linux still has a number of day-to-day conventions that Windows users won't be familiar with. These not only include installing different desktop environments but also core functions such as file management.

Bottom line: Linux has cemented itself as a valuable server operating system, especially for Web-oriented server tasks. And though it certainly exists on the power user's desktop, Linux still has some ground to cover before becoming a serious competitor for the desktop.