Re: Death by code release

[Florian Weimer <fw () deneb enyo de>]

* Tomas L. Byrnes:

> [TLB:] 
> Like it or not, the vast majority of line of business apps are still
> Windows only, and most IT shops have staff who only know how to manage
> windows.

Experience is way overrated, this is something most people on their
own, often beyond their traditional line of work.  System integration
and automation of routine tasks is the difficult stuff, but this
matters only if you've got a certain number of seats (enough to
require automation, but too few for a dedicated migration team).

> There's a pent up demand for an improved desktop experience, not just
> for the end user, but for the IT guys who have to manage it. Linux on
> the desktop hasn't delivered it (the issues with drivers due to the
> requirement to GPL the driver code being a non-starter for many HW
> manufacturers hamstring it),

There's a range between, say, 20 and 200 desktops where the Microsoft
stack is noticeably better from an administrative point of view.
Below that, you don't need automation.  Above that, vendor-provided
automation just doesn't cut it, and the integration work rapidly
dwarfs any headstart vendor-specific solutions might provide.

Windows 7 won't change much, and the adoption in business will be
comparable to that of XP, eventually.  But in more and more cases,
companies no longer consider the Microsoft Office licensing fee as
God-given, and they actually deploy OpenOffice (instead of using it to
gain more leverage in negotiating with Microsoft).  It's going to be a
long time until this matters for Windows sales, and it could be a
temporary effect.  But it's interesting nevertheless.

Drivers aren't an issue anymore that's terribly relevant--you can buy
according to your needs, and for special-purpose devices, models
speaking TCP/IP are usually available.
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