[Glastonbury] Sedgemoor IT Cluster

[info at wccl.co.uk]

Sean >>>Problem is that the "total cost of ownership" for an SME starts to 
rise 
the minute they move away from what their suppliers are promoting as 
standard. Therefore it is for us to start to act on suppliers to get the 
Linux Desktop accepted more widely and then, at that point, to start 
trying to influence Business Link to encourage it to SMEs...

You'd think the single, emotionally-loaded, hugely expensive word "Viruses" 
would have an effect on Win users, wouldn't you?! But they don't seem to take 
the hint even if they are petrified of viruses. I still know users who are 
very anxious about viruses and hesitate to pay out for the right AV software 
until their machine has been trashed, but they still won't change from Win.

It doesn't help having letters printed in Computing (and also I think 
articles) that indicate that Linux definitely "will" (not even "might") be 
trashed by Viruses if it becomes widely used. Such statements are always 
refued by linux users in protesting letters but it seems the Windows 
adherents who make these statements still aren't convinced. How about 
persuading Computing to print an article explaining exactly why Win is so 
very much more vulnerable and putting this issue to rest?

Our own hardware supplier was convinced Linux would be virus ridden if 
popular. We did give him an explanation otherwise. At least he's willing to 
listen but is making good money out of selling Microsoft based software and 
cleaning viruses off software etc. It's not entirely in his interest, 
perhaps, to sell Linux? Perhaps there is the same sort of thinking in many 
organisations? 

Perhaps one option is to persuade home users to try it seeing it's free or 
near as - catch anyone willing to be a bit adventurous and persuade them to 
load it additionally to Win to start with rather than instead of - which is 
how I got into it. Linux should appeal to people with tidy minds - definitely 
one of its charms.

I can well understand why businesses want to stick with MS. They're scared of 
change or scared of problems with staff not coping with something different. 
I wish they'd be adventurous and learn the advantages of Linux but perhaps it 
will take a truly horrendous virus attack that beats all the AV software 
vendors for long enough to cause true, seriuosly expensive worldwide desktop 
havoc on a scale never yet seen, before Linux is seriously considered for the 
mainstream?

Ros
Wells Computer Consultants Ltd