Linux tinkering

[JoshScott]

That's a funny picture! It's just not true anymore though, and hasn't been for many years, unless you're using Arch Linux or Gentoo or some Linux that is made for tinkering. In fact, and I mean this in all sincerity, anymore I find the opposite is true. When I use Windows, I get stuck sitting there looking at a spinning disc that says "Please Wait...". Whether it's receiving a forced upgrade, or just doing simple tasks like plugging in a USB stick, trying to boot up or shut down the computer, opening an administrative utility, whatever it is, it starts grinding away on the hard disk and just absolutely takes forever to do anything. I want all those hours back I spent sitting there waiting on that spinning disk!

[mike]

That's a funny picture! It's just not true anymore though, and hasn't been for many years, unless you're using Arch Linux or Gentoo or some Linux that is made for tinkering. In fact, and I mean this in all sincerity, anymore I find the opposite is true. When I use Windows, I get stuck sitting there looking at a spinning disc that says "Please Wait...". Whether it's receiving a forced upgrade, or just doing simple tasks like plugging in a USB stick, trying to boot up or shut down the computer, opening an administrative utility, whatever it is, it starts grinding away on the hard disk and just absolutely takes forever to do anything. I want all those hours back I spent sitting there waiting on that spinning disk!

I manage at least 11 Windows computers at my business and it is not even worth thinking of trying to use Linux computers to perform what they need to do. They are great for a hobbyist or, like the funny graphic says, someone who has a bit of time to tinker with them.

[JoshScott]

Hi Mike,

Not trying to be argumentative or anything but for the record, I manage a Windows network as well with about 10 PCs. We decided to stay on Windows 7 until EOL which will be next Spring. Right now, we have two employees (An estimator and a Sales Rep) using Linux laptops for about a year now with no issues. Both are from System76 (http://www.system76.com) - one running Ubuntu Unity, the other with the new Gnome-based Pop! OS. They do presentations with LibreOffice Impress, and use Skype for Linux, Teamviewer for Linux, Google Chrome for accessing our Web-based CRM (Nimble) and all the other great desktop apps that come free with Linux for other things they do. I use a Debian 8 machine running Samba as a Windows client backup server in our office as well, and a Linux Mint laptop with a projector to run our weekly meetings. The Linux Mint laptop gets right on our Windows network with Samba client, no problem. We support Debian with a monthly contribution.

The rest of the computers in the office will be running Linux next year with the exception of the 2 CAD engineers who are locked into that AutoCAD subscription racket. They will get Macs to run AutoCAD. I will run a Windows VM on my Linux desktop so I can keep using Quickbooks Premier for Windows which I am partial to. Everything else we do can be done as well or better with Linux.. and with better security and less fuss. I can't think of anything else we need that we won't be able to do on Linux. Our Windows SBS 2011 server (2008 R2 based) has been rock solid and will be missed. It will be replaced with a Linux-based Synology NAS and will have exponentially more functionality than SBS 2011 ever came with for a fraction of the cost! And whoever told you that you need Active Directory to manage a 10-PC network was lying to you!

[JoshScott]

... Even if you want/need Active Directory.. you can run the RedHat/CentOS-based ClearOS with the Active Directory plugin, or the Debian-based Univention Corporate Server (UCS) if you like.. or just install OpenLDAP and configure it yourself. There are lots of third-party solutions if you need that single-sign on across your network, etc. Oh look, it looks like Synology NAS does that too! https://www.synology.com/en-global/dsm/ ... _directory

[mike]

Can you recommend me a whole store POS system with scale sync, as well as financial software that syncs automatically with bank feeds, and time & attendance software with good hardware, all of which run well on Linux?

I like the concept of free and open source software, and use some myself, but it is typically more time and work to use than Windows and Windows-based software. I have used LibreOffice, but quite frankly it is no comparison to MS Office in terms of user-friendliness and general stability. I use GIMP frequently for specific tasks, and it's OK, but if I were a graphic designer it would be out of the question.

[mike]

I'm dealing mainly with desktop apps, not server apps or OSes. I run a PTP network, and wish I knew more about network management. Sometimes we have minor connectivity issues and about all I know to do is restart switches and routers.

[JoshScott]

Hmm, POS, not as much. There do seem to be some mature POS systems that run Linux.. Just a cursory look revealed some good ones like http://www.viewtouch.com/ or http://www.volantesystems.com/technology/ or Floreant for Restaurants http://floreant.org/ or Imonggo.com if you like SaaS (runs on any OS), etc. And my sister-in-law's Moneydance financial software (moneydance.com) syncs with her banks so I know that can be done.

You raise a good point though, for certain specialized applications, it's not always possible to find good open source solutions if something isn't in the repositories already or available from a third party. But there are generally less third-party software solutions for Linux because like many things in our human world, Open Source software's strength is also it's weakness. The GPL licensing that makes all this great and varied software freely available also inherently limits third-party development, because open-source developers simply have a harder time getting paid for their work than closed-source developers. No, you're right about that.

[JoshScott]

The Mac platform is the same way.. way less software to choose from... beyond what it comes with.