O'Reilly Open Source Convention - August 1-5, 2005

Session
Where and When Can a Linux Desktop Work?
Tim Witham, Chief Technology Officer, OSDL

Track: Open Source Business Review
Date: Thursday, August 4th, 2005
Time: 2:35pm - 3:20pm
Location: E145
Linux runs fine on the desktop with mature environments like GNOME and KDE and so does OpenOffice.org and many other programs for end users such as Firefox for web browsing and Thunderbird for email. So does that mean that large organizations can successfully run their businesses using a desktop based on Linux and open source applications for end users? The answer is that it depends on many different factors such as the abilities of your desktop support organization, the functions required from your applications, and the nature of your users.
Tim Witham, CTO of Open Source Development Labs, is leading the Desktop Linux Working Group that is attempting to identify in greater detail the technical and marketing needs of four different types of desktop users. This presentation explains the findings of the working group so far with respect to the opportunity to support a Linux desktop in the enterprise. Based on this presentation, attendees should have a clear idea of how ready their organization may be for a Linux desktop.