James Clark wrote:
Such as? I'm actually interested by this.
Sure. Here's a list: 1. Outlook+Exchange. I run Thunderbird to read my home email over an ssh vpn (thanks putty). 2. VPN access to client sites for remote maintenance. This could be avoided by using a more open VPN platform, but we integrate with certain vendor proprietary security products which simply do not work in Linux, *BSD, or any other open platform. Ubuntu now does pptp VPN connections out of the box, but that only solves a small amount of this particular problem. 3. Occasional need to install random windows only products for evaluation. 4. Requirement to edit proprietary data formats in a seamless manner. No, close enough is NOT good enough. 5. Most importantly, ability to have a windows environment to hand for support reasons. I can, and have, run Linux only here at work. My laptop dual boots, and there are semi-workable solutions to most of the above problems. It's just too much work to do this on a daily basis though. Maybe when it becomes easier, I can re-visit this. I am paid to do my job though, not to muck about with computers and software. Perhaps it will become easier in time. If I didn't believe this to be the case, I'd hardly be involved in the WLUG, let alone be it's president, would I? ;)
The last three years of my working career I've used primarily Linux. For a while (at my previous job) I had to KVM to a windows box periodically to use OutLook and some legacy customer management software. Now it's only Linux.
Horses for courses, James. We all have different work requirements. I've actually started to quite like Windows XP. I've even been running it by choice at home occasionally. It's not as bad as people make it out to be, though I am no friend of Microsoft, their business practices, or their showstopping, jaw dropping, chip popping bugs. I'd like them to go away. It's not going to happen in the near future, and I need to do my job in the meantime. G.