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Bryan Lunduke at Network World calls out what other mainstream media have been too timid, or bought out, to call out. He starts by pointing out that choosing Microsoft Windows for your organization should get you fired and that if you haven't already replaced Windows, across the board, you absolutely stink at your job.
There. Finally the topic is broached in mainstream media and a proper discussion can now start among decision makers who can arrange complete migrations to GNU/Linux, Chrome/Linux, one of the BSDs, or a combination of them.
As Microsoft security problems continue to escalate since even the pre-networked, MS-DOS days, managers and front-line grunts will find themselves increasingly culpable for selecting unviable software, such as Microsoft Windows. If they wish to pay big bucks for maintenance, there are plenty of companies around to participate in the money. Canonical, Red Hat, M:Tier are just a sampling.
[Ed. Note: I debated whether or not to run this story — in some respects it's just the Windows vs *nix argument all over again. Also, there are proprietary programs which are critical for certain industries which currently only run on Windows. On the other hand, gaining a mention like this in the more mainstream media, does that mean we are approaching an inflection point? Witness the increased displeasure with Windows 10's telemetry and the difficulty in completely blocking it. What programs do you use that are only available on Windows? What keeps you from moving to another OS? --martyb]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @08:31PM (1 child)
Is he an idiot?
Nope. Ernie Ball, Inc. has already been mentioned in the (meta)thread.
They did it last century.
Burlington Coat Factory did it before them.
Munich has been mentioned.
When Munich's mayor was talking to Bill Gates while giving him a ride to the airport, the mayor said that the reason they were making the switch was FREEDOM.
"Freedom from who?"
"From YOU, Mr. Gates."
Gates was very quiet for the rest of the trip.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Friday July 07 2017, @03:36PM
I never said it was impossible. It's totally doable if you a) care enough, and b) have the resources to do so.
But at no point has anyone ever said that it was even remotely easy. You effectively need to refactor your entire business when you do such a move.
If you look at the work Munich did, for example, they had to do a *LOT* of work to do the transition, including roll their own custom linux distribution, and a whole bunch of other headaches. Any and all custom software made for windows, now needs to be rewritten. Windows-only software (eg: quickbooks) needs to have replacements sourced.
Anyone who says (or even implies) that a switchover is a trivial exercise is misguided at best, and an outright liar at worst. I personally would be delighted to kick Windows to the curb at any and every opportunity. But I am also a realist who understands that such a thing can't be done with a simple snap of the fingers.