[Sussex] Linux User and Developer

[angelo servini]

Geoff Teale wrote:

>Evening all..
>
>Slow day on the LUG.. this may be because I was spending my day of 
>unemployment driving around and shopping instead of flooding the list with 
>nonsense, and the like of Nik Butler were drinking coffee in Hammicks... 
>which is where I bumped into, and he advised me to take a second look at my 
>copy of Linux User and Developerfor this month.
>
>... and there on Page 34 is a half page add for 3ait :-)
>
>  
>
Hear hear :-)

>Now normally I wouldn't give Nik such a shameless plug, but it is nice to see 
>and anyhow it prompted me to think about the visible changes going on as 
>Linux becomes more and more mainstream.  I'm very pleased that I'm about to 
>become a 100% Linux based worker and that there will shortly be at least 2 
>companies in Horsham basing their business entirely on open source software 
>(though 3ait and Cmed Technology / Third Phase are in very different areas of 
>business).
>
>The combined results of three US studies show that between 48 and 55% of all 
>people employed to develop software in the USA spent the majority of the work 
>time developing for Linux or *BSD in the year April 2002 - April 2003, 
>figures for this year are expected to be at least 10% higher.  Much of this 
>can be accredited to the shift to Linux by the major banks following "9-11" 
>but the knock on effects are huge.  Linux has joined java as the unofficial 
>"standard" platform for banking systems and that will have a impact on all 
>the businesses dealing with IT in and around that sector.  Unfortunately in 
>the UK the figures are much lower (and infact we are amongst the slowest in 
>Europe in terms of Linux adoption).  Hopefully Britain will do as ever and 
>follow on behind the US a few years later...
>
>With development and application comes the need for support and a whole other 
>range of other services.  Given this climate I wonder how long it will be 
>before the majority of the IT professionals on this list will be able to have 
>the choice to work in an open source environment?
>
>I don't envisage a time when there will ever be such a homogenous market as 
>the one Microsoft enjoyed in the late 1990's (nor would I want there to be) - 
>but I would like to think there will be a time when people will be afforded 
>some choice when looking for a job.  I spent most of the last three years 
>looking for a LINUX development position, having finally found and accepted 
>one I have since had more Linux development job specs through than in all 
>that time.  Momentum is an interesting thing....
>
>Anyhow, here's a good-luck to Nik and the 3ait guys, hope the advertising 
>works and maybe i'll see you in Hammicks from time to time ;-)
>
>  
>
You never know.  If my knowlege of Linux expands, you might even see me 
looking for work of this kind (I would have to revamp my C++ tho). 
 However, I've a long way to go still.

Angelo ;-)