<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>On 23 Nov 2001, at 10:50, Niall O Broin wrote: 


<color><param>7F00,0000,0000</param>> On Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 10:05:11AM +0000, David Golden wrote: 

>  

> > Actually, I've started crawling back on bended knee to ex-employers, 
vaguely  

> > hopeful that (a) they're still in business, (probably) (b) they're 
not  

> > offended I resigned... (problem) and (c) they remember me as 
competent.  

> > (hmm...) 

>  

> Are you in a position to comment at all on Eolach's closure ? I'm not 
of 

> course looking for details, it's more that I'm curious as to whether or 
not 

> supporting open source software is a viable business proposition in 
Ireland. 

> Presumably Eolach's closure indicates that it is not, or in any event, 
they 

> couldn't make it so.  

>  

> We all know that open source software is widely adopted in Ireland, and 
many 

> of us earn (or earned :-( ) our bread because of this, but it seems to 
me 

> that this adoption is still very much driven by technical advocates in 

> companies of varying size, and is very rarely adopted in firms without 
an 

> advocate. I suppose in a way that's obvious - when a company is looking 
for 

> a system, they can only buy what is sold which will generally be an NT 
or 

> commercial Unix solution (do any of you know if IBM here is pushing 
Linux 

> solutions to its customers/prospects ?). Even if a slightly clueful 
person 

> within an organisation has heard of Linux, and thinks that it might be 
a 

> solution, who's going to sell it to him ? 


<color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>IBM is testing Linux on the OS/390 at two sites in Dublin (and elsewhere  
in the world).  I believe they are gearing up to replace the Unix Started 
 Task system in the current OS/390 (based on AIX) with Linux.  If one  
asks, he can order Linux pre-installed on desktops from IBM (also Compaq, 
 Dell, and HP).  This, however, is too little too late; it appears that  
Microsoft endorsement is more important than IBM endorsement. 


You almost have to sneak Linux in these days, like with the Tivo. 

   
<color><param>7F00,0000,0000</param> A more clueful person of course 

> realises that he doesn't need anybody to sell it to him but we've 
already 

> covered those people. 

>  

> I've only been involved in one installation where a customer decided to 
use 

> Linux in a largely Microsoft environment. It was as a mail server, but 
it 

> now appears that they're no longer using Linux in that role. I'm also 

> working with a Novell VAR who wants to use Linux as an internet gateway 
for 

> his customers. He's very interested in Linux but if he didn't know me 
he 

> wouldn't have really had anywhere to start - he doesn't have the time 
to 

> climb the learning curve himself. 

<color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>  

Novell is moving away from the server software business and into the  
directory services business, with NDS for NT/2000, and NDS for Linux.   
Soon it will be possible to have the rock solid (tested with over a  
billion objects) Novell NDS, with out a NetWare server.  Linux on your  
OS/390 running NDS - what an unstoppable beast! 

  
<color><param>7F00,0000,0000</param>> So, if only savvy companies adopt open source software, can there be a 
place 

> for a company supporting it in Ireland ? 


<color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>I believe the answer is yes.  If any of you keep the messages from the  
group, make a note of all the requests for help.  Allow me to change the  
wording of your question to " supporting it FROM Ireland".  Compaq, Dell, 
 IBM, etc all have call centers here.  Who provides 3rd level (or higher)<italic> 
 </italic>support to the call centers? (maybe they deal with RedHat and Caldera  
directly)  And what about training, documentation, configuration  
management and testing?  In this trend of downsizing, maybe some of these 
 companies would out-source some of their Linux business?  Maybe in this  
period of uncertainty, Irish organisations trying to save money and  
regain control of their technology would like to know more about Linux or 
 even BEOS, and Free DOS.   


Also, let us not forget that the Unix Master Kernel is currently owned by 
 Caldera - a Linux company! 


<color><param>7F00,0000,0000</param>>  

>  

>  

> Just my few cents worth 

>  

>  

>  

> Niall 

>  

> --  

> Irish Linux Users' Group: ilug@linux.ie 

> http://www.linux.ie/mailman/listinfo/ilug for (un)subscription 
information. 

> List maintainer: listmaster@linux.ie 


<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>------- End of forwarded message -------


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