Desktop Case Studies

'The Desktop' is such an obvious contender for the deployment of Open Source Software that it has occupied many peoples' thoughts for a long time. It's a difficult battle for Open Source to win, for many reasons. But it's also important to have some clarity of thought here, or you risk misunderstanding the issue. The most fundamental question to ask yourself is 'what is meant by "the desktop?"'.

In reality there simply isn't such a thing as "the desktop". There are hundreds or thousands of them. At present it may look as if it is a single entity, but when you start to investigate how desktop computer users make use of their systems, there are many strata, many different applications and many different styles of use. A call-centre may easily be using bespoke applications and have only a rudimentary word-processor requirement. Contrast that with a financial analyst at work, or a graphics designer, or a technical document publisher or a mobile sales team. The range of applications and what is needed from them is vast.

Once you start to think straight and separate what you want from how you achieve it then it may be possible to look at suitable places for the use of Open Source Software and how you can benefit from it. But the 'may be' is still quite a serious 'may be'.

It is very important to start by thinking about what you want to achieve. As one example, many people investigating desktop solutions start from the premise that every desktop user will need a PC-class device with a large amount of memory and a big hard drive, since that's what modern PCs tend to be. An entry-level system in today's market might be a 1GHZ processor, 256MB of memory and 40GB of hard drive (spot the hostage to fortune - that will no doubt change within the month).

The realistic proprietary desktop solutions are those from Apple and Microsoft. Anyone who has spent most of their time in that environment is unlikely to consider thin-client solutions because they are either unfeasible or expensive. That kind of preconception can be very dangerous, since in the Open Source world, all of the main contenders (Linux taking pride of place) are actually easier to deploy in thin-client form and with remarkable cost savings following. Unless you already know that, you are very likely to forget to consider it.

The thin-client example is a particular example of the kind of re-thinking needed, but as case studies are added here, you may find that they help to shift your perception of what can be done.

Examples of Desktop Solutions

GBdirect Limited

GBdirect switched to the use of only Open Source Software in 1998. As a small technical consultancy employing predominantly skilled staff, switching at such an early date was feasible. More details can be found in this case study.

Trust Commerce

Trust Commerce is an Open Source oriented provider of e-commerce payment systems. In 2002 they started to switch to the use of Open Source desktops too; Adam Wiggins of Trust Commerce has written a case study of his experiences of migrating from Windows to Open Source Software on the desktop.

"Perhaps most interesting about the transition to open source on our worker's desktops has been the shift in perception that has accompanied it. Open formats are now preferred; plain text, HTML, and PDF are the only formats we send to customers and business partners. This isn't policy; it's just what our employees prefer, now that they are aware of a world beyond Microsoft. I asked the sales manager - the same one who balked at the promoted receptionist not using MS Office - why he exclusively sends PDFs now. "It looks more professional," he told me, quite sincerely."

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