newbie2
May 22nd, 2007, 07:20 AM
Is Ubuntu the Linux OS for Law Firms?
By John K. Waters
Special to Law.com
May 22, 2007
To Vista or not to Vista; is that really the question? With Microsoft's long-awaited operating-system upgrade, well ... upon us ... it might be time to consider alternatives. Apple's fine Unix-based OS X is certainly an option, but if you're balking at investing in the new hardware you'll need to support Microsoft's new graphically seductive, resource-gobbling OS, do you really want to replace all your Windows machines with Macs?
Maybe it's time to consider Linux -- or rather a Linux. There are more than a few flavors of this Unix-like open-source operating system in circulation these days (about 300, by one count). One of the commercially backed Linux distributions, Ubuntu, has become something of a darling of the OSS crowd, and it's well worth a look. There's a lot to like in the latest version of Ubuntu -- and a few things to watch out for from an enterprise perspective.
Ubuntu 7.04, previously code-named "Feisty Fawn," was released in April. This is a Linux distribution based on Debian Linux. (A distribution or "distro" is the operating system plus assorted software.) It's available in both desktop and server editions, as well as a few specialized editions. Kubuntu, for example, is a combination of Ubuntu and the KDE environment; Edubuntu is designed for use in classrooms. (No Lawbuntu yet, but who knows?)
The latest version is available for desktops and servers in x86, x86-64, and PowerPC versions. The server edition is currently available for Sun Microsystems' UltraSPARC architecture.
Although the server edition has received mildly positive reviews, where this distro really shines is on the desktop. Ubuntu is all about the user experience. Its name is a Zulu word that translates roughly to mean "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity." Ubuntu's slogan is "Linux for Human Beings."
It's easy to see why Ubuntu has emerged as a favorite among the Penguinistas. (The mascot of the Linux community is Tux the Penguin; thus the nickname.) The free download takes more than an hour over a high-speed connection. Installation, though, takes just a few clicks. There's lots of help available on the Web site, but the install is pretty simple. A "Migration Assistant" guides users through a dual boot setup, and helps with the importation of desktop settings from Windows or other Linux versions installed on the machine.
This distro comes with free security and package updates, which don't require a subscription support service. It also comes with the usual system tools, as well as a basic office productivity suite (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program), integrated e-mail and calendaring apps, a desktop note-taking program called Tomboy, the Firefox Web browser. There's also a photo editor application (F-Spot), and a media player (Rythmbox). And there are thousands of apps in the Ubuntu catalog.
The plug-and-play network sharing feature is a standout, and adds to the distro's enterprise viability. The NetworkManager application is included in this version as part of the default install. Formerly an optional add-on, this biz-friendly app is designed to handle switching among wired and wireless networks and managing VPN connections. Notably, this version is a lot better at handling of static connections.
Some important plug-ins for the Web -- things like Abobe's Flash player -- are available in 32-bit form only, so users of 64-bit Ubuntu are forced to turn to a matching version of the browser. Also, some users might find they have to struggle a bit with video card drivers. (See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport for Ubuntu hardware support.)
And this is a nitpick, but the default color scheme of the UI is brown. Brown?
UI aesthetics aside, the critical question for IT managers considering this exceptionally user-friendly Linux distro is this: Is Ubuntu enterprise ready? Will it run the apps I need it to run? Will it work with my printer? Can I get the support I need?
Canonical, the commercial entity backing the OS, has been establishing key relationships with independent hardware and software vendors with those very questions in mind. Among the brand-name biz apps that can run on Ubuntu today are IBM's DB2 database, VMware's VMI and Para-Ops, and SugarCRM. Canonical has also developed a strong partnership with Sun Microsystems; Sun's open-source GlassFish application server, version 6 of the Java SE Development Kit, Java DB 10.2, the Sun-supported version of the Apache Derby relational database manager and the 5.5 version of the NetBeans integrated development environment all now run on Ubuntu.
But it was Dell's recent decision to provide selected desktops and laptops preinstalled with Ubuntu that is, perhaps, the sexiest endorsement of this distro. Michael Dell has even said that he is running Feisty Fawn on his personal laptop. (Check out the video of Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth on the Dell Web site.)
The list of prominent Ubuntu users also includes Google (for desktop application development and customization), and Siemens (for video streaming to cell phones).
And for what it's worth, independent software vendors, which wisely tend to target the dominant computing platforms, are taking Linux seriously, and increasingly providing alternative versions of their applications for that OS. The Dell endorsement can only accelerate that trend.
The feature of Ubuntu that is most likely to move this distro into the enterprise competitively is Canonicals' licensing model. The company does not impose a restriction on deploying a Linux enterprise subscription on every server. Instead, Ubuntu is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
In a recent report, "Determining Whether Ubuntu Linux Is Right for You", Gartner analysts George Weiss and Thomas Skybakmoen write: "With support offered by Canonical, IT organizations that want to deploy Linux on servers without paying a subscription license fee for every server will be able to mix and match non-subscription-based Linux with enterprise-licensed support, unlike Red Hat and other Linux distributor models."
The analysts predict that "Ubuntu will make a play to compete for enterprise Linux server business against Red Hat, Novell and Oracle."
That prediction bodes well for Ubuntu as a business-ready Linux distro. However, Canonical still needs to provide features that allow administrators to manage an entire Linux infrastructure, with role-based groupings, administration for policies and permissions, and scheduled actions. Until it does, organizations are likely to consider Ubuntu primarily as a worthy Windows replacement
http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1179751704065
By John K. Waters
Special to Law.com
May 22, 2007
To Vista or not to Vista; is that really the question? With Microsoft's long-awaited operating-system upgrade, well ... upon us ... it might be time to consider alternatives. Apple's fine Unix-based OS X is certainly an option, but if you're balking at investing in the new hardware you'll need to support Microsoft's new graphically seductive, resource-gobbling OS, do you really want to replace all your Windows machines with Macs?
Maybe it's time to consider Linux -- or rather a Linux. There are more than a few flavors of this Unix-like open-source operating system in circulation these days (about 300, by one count). One of the commercially backed Linux distributions, Ubuntu, has become something of a darling of the OSS crowd, and it's well worth a look. There's a lot to like in the latest version of Ubuntu -- and a few things to watch out for from an enterprise perspective.
Ubuntu 7.04, previously code-named "Feisty Fawn," was released in April. This is a Linux distribution based on Debian Linux. (A distribution or "distro" is the operating system plus assorted software.) It's available in both desktop and server editions, as well as a few specialized editions. Kubuntu, for example, is a combination of Ubuntu and the KDE environment; Edubuntu is designed for use in classrooms. (No Lawbuntu yet, but who knows?)
The latest version is available for desktops and servers in x86, x86-64, and PowerPC versions. The server edition is currently available for Sun Microsystems' UltraSPARC architecture.
Although the server edition has received mildly positive reviews, where this distro really shines is on the desktop. Ubuntu is all about the user experience. Its name is a Zulu word that translates roughly to mean "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity." Ubuntu's slogan is "Linux for Human Beings."
It's easy to see why Ubuntu has emerged as a favorite among the Penguinistas. (The mascot of the Linux community is Tux the Penguin; thus the nickname.) The free download takes more than an hour over a high-speed connection. Installation, though, takes just a few clicks. There's lots of help available on the Web site, but the install is pretty simple. A "Migration Assistant" guides users through a dual boot setup, and helps with the importation of desktop settings from Windows or other Linux versions installed on the machine.
This distro comes with free security and package updates, which don't require a subscription support service. It also comes with the usual system tools, as well as a basic office productivity suite (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program), integrated e-mail and calendaring apps, a desktop note-taking program called Tomboy, the Firefox Web browser. There's also a photo editor application (F-Spot), and a media player (Rythmbox). And there are thousands of apps in the Ubuntu catalog.
The plug-and-play network sharing feature is a standout, and adds to the distro's enterprise viability. The NetworkManager application is included in this version as part of the default install. Formerly an optional add-on, this biz-friendly app is designed to handle switching among wired and wireless networks and managing VPN connections. Notably, this version is a lot better at handling of static connections.
Some important plug-ins for the Web -- things like Abobe's Flash player -- are available in 32-bit form only, so users of 64-bit Ubuntu are forced to turn to a matching version of the browser. Also, some users might find they have to struggle a bit with video card drivers. (See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport for Ubuntu hardware support.)
And this is a nitpick, but the default color scheme of the UI is brown. Brown?
UI aesthetics aside, the critical question for IT managers considering this exceptionally user-friendly Linux distro is this: Is Ubuntu enterprise ready? Will it run the apps I need it to run? Will it work with my printer? Can I get the support I need?
Canonical, the commercial entity backing the OS, has been establishing key relationships with independent hardware and software vendors with those very questions in mind. Among the brand-name biz apps that can run on Ubuntu today are IBM's DB2 database, VMware's VMI and Para-Ops, and SugarCRM. Canonical has also developed a strong partnership with Sun Microsystems; Sun's open-source GlassFish application server, version 6 of the Java SE Development Kit, Java DB 10.2, the Sun-supported version of the Apache Derby relational database manager and the 5.5 version of the NetBeans integrated development environment all now run on Ubuntu.
But it was Dell's recent decision to provide selected desktops and laptops preinstalled with Ubuntu that is, perhaps, the sexiest endorsement of this distro. Michael Dell has even said that he is running Feisty Fawn on his personal laptop. (Check out the video of Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth on the Dell Web site.)
The list of prominent Ubuntu users also includes Google (for desktop application development and customization), and Siemens (for video streaming to cell phones).
And for what it's worth, independent software vendors, which wisely tend to target the dominant computing platforms, are taking Linux seriously, and increasingly providing alternative versions of their applications for that OS. The Dell endorsement can only accelerate that trend.
The feature of Ubuntu that is most likely to move this distro into the enterprise competitively is Canonicals' licensing model. The company does not impose a restriction on deploying a Linux enterprise subscription on every server. Instead, Ubuntu is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
In a recent report, "Determining Whether Ubuntu Linux Is Right for You", Gartner analysts George Weiss and Thomas Skybakmoen write: "With support offered by Canonical, IT organizations that want to deploy Linux on servers without paying a subscription license fee for every server will be able to mix and match non-subscription-based Linux with enterprise-licensed support, unlike Red Hat and other Linux distributor models."
The analysts predict that "Ubuntu will make a play to compete for enterprise Linux server business against Red Hat, Novell and Oracle."
That prediction bodes well for Ubuntu as a business-ready Linux distro. However, Canonical still needs to provide features that allow administrators to manage an entire Linux infrastructure, with role-based groupings, administration for policies and permissions, and scheduled actions. Until it does, organizations are likely to consider Ubuntu primarily as a worthy Windows replacement
http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1179751704065