Tomorrow we hope to take one more Windows production server out of use, and upgrade it to Linux. Progress has been slow, but there has been a gradual increase in the number of Linux server systems at work since I started. If I could only get rid of my desktop Windows system in favour of a Linux one, then I'd be really happy.
Productivity
Dom2 on 2004-11-25T20:33:24
Since my Linux desktop doesn't run RSS Bandit, my productivity has soared since I switched.;-) -Dom
Re:Productivity
ajt on 2004-11-25T21:43:45
I'm not that lucky position, I can't think of any software on Windows that I use, and is not available or a superior alternative isn't available on Linux.
I'm just not allowed to switch, as IT can't support my box if it's not running Winblows, even though all the software packages on the machine that I actually use: Cygwin, PuTTY, Firefox, Opera, HTML-Kit, PFE, Zinf, CDex etc etc were installed by me after they gave me the so called "set-up" machine. All they set up was Windows, Office, and IE/Outlook. I never use IE, rarely use Office, but do have to use Outlook - even though I hate it like you would not believe possible....
Re:Productivity
djberg96 on 2004-11-26T22:47:57
I'm not that lucky position, I can't think of any software on Windows that I use, and is not available or a superior alternative isn't available on Linux.Of course, when I rule the universe, everyone will be running Sunblade thin clients. None of that pesky hardware to deal with. Unified administration.
- TOAD - Tool for Oracle Developers. Nice tool that I would hate to live without. There is TORA, but it's not as full featured. TORA's development has halted since Quest Software hired Henrik, the author of TORA. I believe Quest is working on a *nix version (using Kylix?), but it may be a while.
- Calendaring - I haven't found a free solution that matches Outlook, although there is Scalix. If only it weren't for those pesky viruses...
:) Re:Productivity
ajt on 2004-11-27T10:36:24
I don't work with Oracle, so I can't pass comment there.
I do work with Lookout, which is one of Bill's top crimes against humanity. I think my idea of Hell would be having to work with Oulook for eternity, I think it's the worst email client I've ever used, and I've used a few: Eudora, Pegasus (DOS/Win), KMail, Netscape/Mozilla, Pine, elm, VMS mail, and various webmail systems. As for calendaring I hate that too, enless stupid messages, and inane managers that invite a million irrelavent people to a meeting to ensure that they get their own way, or nothing happens.
The problem with Oulook is that I associate it with poor managers, top-posters, viruses, stupid rtf/html email, and all that is bad in corporate life. Perhaps if I stripped all that away, I would only just think of it as the worst email client I've used, rather than an implement of torture.
Re:Productivity
schwern on 2004-11-28T19:52:10
I'm just not allowed to switch, as IT can't support my box if it's not running Winblows, even though all the software packages on the machine that I actually use... were installed by me after they gave me the so called "set-up" machine.If you never have to call IT then IT doesn't support you. I'ved used this logic in the past, usually after I've wiped the machine and installed something sensible and they finally notice three months later. One less machine to support, they should be happy!
:) Watch out: in a really Dilbert situation they can see you as a threat. Or they'll pull a niggling security argument about "a rogue machine on the network, it could be doing anything!" If you really must use Office and Outlook and there's no alternatives, consider something like bochs or vmware.
Another trick: Ignore the desktop machine and use your own laptop. Maybe plug the monitor, keyboard and mouse into your laptop instead, most people wouldn't even notice the difference. I do this a lot as a consultant, don't have to bother with silly IT policy then.
Anyhow, YMMV. As an independent contractor I can get away with a lot more. Legally speaking, they can't tell me how to do my job. And I'm not nearly as attached to it so if I piss-off IT that's ok.
Re:Productivity
ajt on 2004-11-29T09:39:16
I would love to wipe my machine, however the managment tools would get upset... They would notice. You are correct though I never have problems that other users have, and I help IT out more than they help me.
Most of the time I could get by with OpenOffice.org or antiword, I don't use office on a day to day basis. Outlook is the only thing they insist on, and is perhaps the largest thorn in my side as I hate it more than anything else that M$ make. If they only opened up POP3 or IMAP on the Exchange server then I would run Mutt, but alas they won't.
Using own laptop is a big no-no, totally against company policy, I could get fired for doing that. Ironically they allow people with laptops to take them home and use the public Internet with no firewall, so they are always getting infected, and biggest security scare of all being, that they let the VPN client remember the user's username and password.....
Contractors on site are not allowed access to our network with their own machines, only machines installed and configured by IT are. Interestingly all the Linux boxen for the web project were installed and configured by me, IT had no hand in that, so they must trust me to some extent. I only wish they trusted me enough to build and configure my own desktop system....
Re:Productivity
schwern on 2004-11-30T05:27:57
Ugg. Classic pointless "we don't trust our own employees" network security setup.:( Might make some sense for joe Windows user but not for sysadmins and developers. Too bad you can't have your own LAN. I know an occurance of this happening, a small company got bought out by a giant one. The sysadmins of $smallco had a near revolt when they found out their machines would have to live behind the fucked up $giantco firewall so they demanded, and got, an unfiltered direct network connection and the assurance that $giantco IT wonks wouldn't come near their machines. It also involved a cricket bat.
Anyhow, as a consultant I can make a finer point about silly, time wasting policies because there's a clear dollar sign on the end.
"Because you won't allow me to use my own laptop I had to spend six hours today configuring the machine you gave me costing you 6 * $100/hour == $600. I expect to spend yet more of your money installing and configuring software on this machine."
or
"I spent three days reinventing a CPAN module because you won't allow their use here. That's 3 days * 8 hours / day * $100/hour == $2400 wasted."
This is a bit harder to pull off as a full-time employee. For one, the cost isn't as clear. For another the requisite emotional detachement is difficult to pull off.Re:Productivity
ajt on 2004-11-30T09:05:05
As a general rule you are correct, cluless Windows users do mess up their systems with alarming regularity. It's therefore generally a bad idea to let them do anything. At the same time companies fail miserably to train their staff, so the responsibility for this ineptness is ultimately with the employer.
What really pisses me off is the myth that Microsoft perpeptuates that changing to FOSS would involve retraining. Most people aren't trained in Windows to start with, and their general incompetence is part of the reason why Windows is so insecure.
I think for a small number of skilled and highly paid staff it makes sense to allow them more freedom with their computer systems. My firm even sent me on a RedHat training course at £1400, yet they won't let me run RedHat as a desktop system - I've never had any Windows training of any kind, but I'm forced to use it....
As a consultant you do have more freedom, you simply pass the costs on, and hope it doesn't push you out of their price bracket.
There are days I'd like to have lots of money, and then be able to laugh and walk away from work. I do enjoy my work - the projects are fun to do and challenging, but not the politics, and mindless stupidity of company red tape.
Re:Why not?
ajt on 2004-11-25T21:36:00
Company policy is: "Thou shalt run the software of only the devine* one, and speak of no other!". Basically we are a Windows only company.
We waste a fortune on hardware to run multiple Exchange servers, domain controllers and other what-nots that could all be consolidated on a smaller number of sane Linux/Unix servers. We could half the IT staff by dicthing Windows just on virus/spy problems alone, and the fortune we could save on WindowsXP/OfficeXP licences isn't even funny.
Thankfully the SAP systems run on AIX/Linux, and I managed to get the web servers onto Linux before anyone in IT had time to say IIS. However, it's proved an up hill and futile battle to get anything aproaching sanity on my desktop system. Thesedays I have either PuTTY or Cygwin/X running "full-screen", and I only swicth to Windows now and then - to use the email client of the devil, or Firefox (which I installed - against company policy)
I don't know how much my productivity has been lowered by running Windows rather than Debian, but I know how much money has been wasted on MS Office that I almost never use, Outlook which I hate utterly, anti-virus software, and Windows 2K - which has only one saveing grace - it's not Windows XP.
* Microsoft
