Linux is a class of operating systems based on the kernel of the same name, distributed free of charge and open source. There are many operating system implementations that rely on Linux kernel. Everyone is like that software package called a Linux distribution.
Each distribution reflects the ideas of a specific group of developers about the “ideal” operating system. Therefore, the branches of Linux development differ not only in their scope, graphical interface, and set of programs, but also in their ideology, which often affects the final process of interaction with the OS.
Why choose Linux?
The undeniable and main advantage of Linux is its official free distribution. However, this licensing model also has its inevitable negative aspects: lack of support service and any guarantees from the organization releasing the distribution, difficulty in mastering, possible conflicts with application software.
Another difficulty is a large number of distributions, each of which has characteristic features. Choosing a distribution is a difficult task, but if you exclude the inherently complex systems designed for experienced technicians from the search, there are only a few basic options to consider.
Fedora
operating system Linux Fedora supervised by Red Hat. This distribution is used exclusively with free licenses - the developers deliberately refused to use proprietary software. These, for example, include various device drivers or well-known plugins, such as Adobe Flash and mp3. Thus, interaction with the system is complicated by the original ideology, which excludes the use of closed developments.
Distributions are implementations of operating systems based on the Linux kernel.
There is no user support, and the project itself is used by Red Hat as a testing ground for the latest technologies. Failure to use proprietary drivers may cause unstable operation of the operating system on some hardware. Thus, the distribution can hardly be called stable and convenient for use as the main system.
Ubuntu
The distribution was initially aimed at inexperienced users, which is why it acquired a number of characteristic features:
- comes with a set of ready-made software, which includes the LibreOffice office suite and Mozilla browser Firefox;
- does not use the highest level of user rights by default. This is significant for the security and stability of the system;
- The Ubuntu ideology supports the availability of proprietary software (for example, Skype, Adobe Flash Player, etc.) in the official repository (program storage), which simplifies setting up the operating system.
Ubuntu is one of the most optimal distributions for mastering Linux.
Linux Mint
This branch of Linux development was initially based on Ubuntu, including the use of corresponding software repositories. Thus, Linux Mint inherits most of the advantages of Ubuntu, but also brings its own:
- included special program, facilitating migration from Windows;
- proprietary drivers and codecs are included, as well as a set of necessary plugins, including Java and Flash;
- a graphical environment is used that is largely reminiscent of the Windows interface.
Linux Mint, along with Ubuntu, can be called the most reliable and convenient version of Linux for use on a home computer and laptop. According to a number of ratings, Linux Mint is the most popular distribution as of 2016.
Debian
Debian is one of the oldest supported distributions. The system has proven itself to be extremely stable. Disadvantages can be called great amount software that is difficult to understand at first, the need for customization after installation, and the lack of proprietary software. Debian can be described as a stable and convenient system, but the use of which should be started after becoming familiar with simpler distributions such as Linux Mint or Ubuntu.
Linux Ubuntu- one of the most popular distributions
How not to make a mistake with your choice?
A good practice before choosing a distribution is preliminary testing and comparison of several options - a kind of “test drive” that will help you finally decide on your choice. There are two ways to conduct a preliminary acquaintance with the system: using a so-called live CD or using a virtual machine. In both the first and second cases, you first need to download installation disk images of the distributions you are interested in.
Advice. Most modern distributions come in two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit. It is recommended to select the 64-bit version as it provides maximum compatibility with various software. A stable version and the latest version can also be provided for download. Stable is preferable.
Preview using Live CD
Most installation disks of distribution kits allow you not only to install the system on HDD, but also run the trial version directly from the disk or USB drive. This option is called Live CD. Starting the operating system with installation disk has a number of limitations and is not intended for daily use, but with its help you can familiarize yourself with the distribution without installing it on your hard drive.
Advantages of this method:
- the ability to check the stability of the distribution on a real PC configuration.
Flaws:
- the need to use additional hardware ( DVD discs, USB drives);
- the need to reboot the PC between launching different distributions.
Preview using a virtual machine
A virtual machine is a special software tool, which allows you to emulate the operation of a personal computer. For preliminary acquaintance with various distribution kits, we can recommend the free VirtualBox system.
Linux Mint - the optimal distribution for laptops and computers
Advantages of this method:
- no need to use additional hardware (DVDs, USB drives);
- convenient work with several distribution kits at once without the need to restart the PC;
- the user can familiarize himself in advance with the process of installing the operating system on the hard drive.
Flaws:
- high requirements for personal computer performance to provide emulation;
- inability to check the stability of operation on a real configuration (since emulation is used).
After familiarizing yourself with various distributions using virtual machine or Live CD, you will be able to evaluate the convenience of each of them in practice. Probably, after such a test it will become easier for you to make your choice, and you can start installing Linux on your hard drive.
Attention! Running Linux using a Live CD or virtual machine does not make any changes to your computer's file system. Installing the operating system on a PC will require formatting and/or partitioning hard drive, which can lead to complete or partial loss of information. Before installation, it is strongly recommended to backup all important data.
Which distribution should I choose?
We can say that Linux Mint is currently the best choice for a home computer and laptop. It is stable, easy to learn, beginner-friendly, and well-documented with a large community around it. However, Linux Mint should not be considered the only viable option. Testing different distributions is useful practice, which will allow you to gain experience working with Linux and form your own opinion about the various branches of development of this operating system.
Best Linux distributions - video
There are a huge number of Linux distributions, and they all have their own purpose, their own purpose. In this material, I roughly divided the distributions into several types and gave specific examples distributions that belong to one type or another.
I simply cannot list all Linux distributions; I included only the most suitable, in my and generally accepted opinion.
If you know Linux distribution, which fits perfectly with that other type, but I didn’t list it here, write in the comments so that other users can also pay attention to it.
I will tell you a little about each distribution, note its features and provide links to official sites.
You can read about what a Linux distribution and Linux in general is in the material - What is Linux and what is a Linux distribution?
Linux distributions for home computers and novice users
If you are an ordinary home computer user and have never worked with Linux, but at the same time you have a desire to switch to this operating system, then the following Linux distributions are suitable for you, they are simple, functional and aimed specifically at beginners Linux users.
Linux Mint
Linux Mint is one of the most popular free Linux distributions aimed at beginner users. It is based on another popular Linux distribution - Ubuntu.
In my opinion, Linux Mint is the best option for users who want to switch to Linux from Windows, as it is convenient, functional, stable, has a huge community, you can find a lot of information on this distribution, i.e. if you encounter a problem, you can easily solve it simply "googling".
The distribution has excellent localization; you will not have any problems with Russification after installing the system. In Linux Mint, in my opinion, one of the best managers software, i.e. a component with which programs are installed; in the Linux Mint distribution, the process of installing applications is reduced to one click, as, for example, on smartphones. In addition, by default it has everything you need for work software.
Linux Mint offers several default graphical shells to choose from: Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce.
The DEB format is used as a package management system.
Installation instructions using version 19 as an example – Installing Linux Mint.
OpenSUSE
openSUSE is also a very popular Linux distribution; many laptop manufacturers install openSUSE as the operating system on their products. The distribution is aimed at ordinary users, and at the same time powerful and stable.
The default desktop environment here is KDE, but you can install other popular graphical shells.
The distribution, just like Linux Mint, has good localization and a huge community.
In openSUSE, a very powerful tool, YaST, is responsible for managing the software and the system as a whole. Unlike Linux Mint, the RPM format is used as a package management system.
Installation instructions using version 15 as an example – Installing openSUSE
Kubuntu
Kubuntu is a Linux distribution derived from Ubuntu with the KDE graphical shell. Kubuntu – has all the benefits of Ubuntu and at the same time has a desktop environment that will probably be more familiar Windows users, so I recommend trying Kubuntu first.
Installing Kubuntu
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is one of the most famous and popular Linux distributions. The development and support of this distribution is carried out by Canonical, which speaks of the quality of the distribution, its reliability and stability. As you already understood, a large number of other Linux distributions are based on Ubuntu.
The GNOME environment is used as the graphical shell. You will not find more documentation and, in general, information about any Linux distribution on the Internet than about Ubuntu; Ubuntu probably has the largest community.
Linux distributions for advanced users
If you have already mastered Linux, in particular the distributions for beginners, which we reviewed a little earlier, you know how to work with a terminal, know the basics of programming, and at the same time you want to learn and experience Linux even more, you can try Linux distributions for advanced users, I would say for enthusiasts, for people who are called true "Linuxoids".
With the help of these distributions you will learn the internal structure of the Linux operating system.
Arch Linux
Arch Linux is a flexible distribution designed to meet the needs of experienced Linux users. The default is set to minimum, basic system, the user does the rest.
This is a very powerful distribution.
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo Linux– another powerful and flexible distribution, here almost everything is done manually ( compiling packages and so on). It would seem simple steps You will spend much more time, but you can fine-tune the system.
Slackware Linux
This distribution is for those who want to get exotic in the world of Linux. Slackware Linux- This is one of the oldest distributions.
There is an expression that reflects the essence of this distribution - “If you know Slackware, you know Linux. If you know any other distribution, then all you know is any other distribution.".
Linux distributions for low-power or "old" computers
If you have a computer with low specifications, but you are tired of XP and want to try Linux, then you should take a closer look at the following distributions, which do not require large resources and at the same time work quickly, have excellent functionality, and are also easy to use management and use.
Lubuntu
Lubuntu is a distribution of the Linux operating system based on Ubuntu. The graphical shell in Lubuntu is the lightweight LXDE environment, which is why this distribution is not demanding on resources and works even on low-power computers without any brakes. At the same time, Lubuntu remains a very functional and stable distribution with a user-friendly graphical interface.
Installation instructions using version 18.04 as an example – Installing Lubuntu
Xubuntu
Xubuntu is a distribution of the Linux operating system, which is also based on Ubuntu. The desktop environment here is Xfce. Xubuntu, like Lubuntu, is a very fast distribution that does not require computer resources.
Installation instructions using version 18.04 as an example – Installing Xubuntu
Linux Lite
Linux Lite– this distribution is based on LTS versions of Ubuntu, i.e. on versions with long-term support. It is not demanding on resources, it includes all the most necessary software for work. Linux Lite is an excellent, compact and at the same time functional version of the Linux operating system.
Q4OS
Q4OS is a Linux distribution based on Debian, which uses the original Trinity graphical shell. The goal of the Q4OS distribution is to provide users with classic, simple interface operating system, while maintaining good functionality.
Q4OS has low system requirements and on "weak" equipment, the system works very quickly, without brakes.
Installation Instructions – Installing Q4OS
Linux distributions for server systems
The Linux operating system is also used on servers; more precisely, I will say even more, Linux is widely used as a system for servers, even more than for ordinary ones personal computers, due to its stability and security.
All Linux server systems are supplied without a graphical shell, since such an environment consumes a significant part of the server's resources, which, accordingly, makes the server less productive. Therefore, in order for the server resources to be used as much as possible for their intended purpose, the graphical shell is not installed on server systems by default, although, of course, it can be installed; this is a matter for server administrators.
If you need a server room Linux version, then the following distributions are the best options.
CentOS
CentOS is an excellent and very popular server operating system. It is on it that most sites on the Internet work, i.e. it acts as a platform for web servers. It is also actively used as database servers and other types of servers. CentOS is a reliable and stable operating system, and it is free, although it is based on the commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux project.
Installation Instructions – Installing CentOS
Instructions for setting up a Web server on CentOS
Debian
Debian is one of the oldest Linux distributions, it is widely used in the corporate sector as a platform for web servers, database servers, and also as a client operating system. It is what countless Linux distributions are based on, including Ubuntu.
Installation instructions using version 9 as an example – Installing Debian
Ubuntu Server
Ubuntu Server is a server version of the Linux distribution Ubuntu. Ubuntu Server is a very popular distribution, it is actively used to implement such servers as: web server, database server, DNS server, file server and others.
Installation instructions using version 18.04 as an example - Installing Ubuntu Server
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
The distribution is developed by Red Hat and is a paid distribution; it is aimed at use in a corporate environment, and therefore is commercial. In the case of RHEL, you will have technical support company, and you will quickly receive critical updates.
By the way, the CentOS distribution discussed above is an excellent free replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, since CentOS is based on RHEL and is compatible with it.
That's all for me, I hope the material was interesting to you, bye!
I'll tell you about my adventures with choosing an axle for home use.
It happened last fall. The home machine also had factory-installed WinXP (accordingly, supplied by the company as a kit, which means it was licensed). It had been standing for a little, quite a few years now, and I was pretty tired of it, when at some point it began to crash frequently, crash into BSoD, and besides, the space on the hard drive had just run out. I decided - I’ll save all the most important things to temporary media, format the disk to zero (especially since there was a suspicion of “mistakes” of individual sectors) and install something newer.
Remembering the difficulties of hacking Win7 (memories left over from those times when it was more difficult to get the keys for it, and my hands were crooked), I decided to suddenly take it and install Linux. Moreover, at work I have been working on CentOS for almost six months now (a centralized large office that does not allow installation of anything other than the only approved OS) and with such things as bash commands, file systems ext family, OpenOffice package, etc., I managed to get acquainted. Well, I think that’s it - no more hacking, “crack serial keygen”, running around for activators - I installed it and went.
The choice of distribution was a separate issue. Of course, the most logical thing to do is to install Ubuntu at home, but it turned out differently - I had a disk with Mandriva at hand, and having decided that if I didn’t like it, I would immediately change it to another penguin, I went to install the “dragon with an asterisk”.
Quite in time, the observant reader will say at this point. Just in the days when the Mandriva development team disbanded. Well, this also has its own logic - Mandriva died, which means she reached the pinnacle of her perfection. (However, nothing prevented me from later moving to the same promised Mageia, for example.)
Put. I fiddled with the settings. I uploaded the data saved from the formatted hard drive. I figured it out with a local guide (Dauphin). I installed everything I needed... I’m lying - All it is impossible to install the necessary things on Linux at all. Bam - you need to change the encoding in all IDv-tags of mp3 files (well, as usual, several gigs of music). Let me put an EasyTag. This one doesn't work, this one behaves strangely, and this one hangs. Oh, I found it - I did it - let it stand, then I’ll play some more music, the problem will arise again. And so every time - fortunately, installing an additional module on a penguin is a matter of five minutes. Therefore, the feeling of comfort, like on Windows, when everything you need is already at hand, is activated and works - this feeling on penguins arises somehow too slowly and blurry (if it arises at all).
The selection of the best version of each possible program on Linux deserves special mention. There were even several of these EasyTags. And even more so all sorts of players, archivers, widgets. In my execution it looked something like this: I spent a couple of days on one player (say, Amarok), realized that the buttons were inconveniently located. I moved to another - he again does not read the encoding (again, perhaps, change it? Is Unicode really not pleasing to someone again?) I found a third - he somehow incorrectly searches for either the lyrics of a song or an album cover on the Internet, as a result Why is it hanging (of course, I, a simple user, am too lazy to bury myself in the settings of an unfamiliar player and turn off all the extra bells and whistles for it - no, really lazy, considering the possibility of simply moving to another player and the chances that the creators of this other player were more adequate people) . I returned again to the first one, found some more holes in it. And so on in a circle until the force of friction stops the simple user from choosing the option with the least amount of inconvenience (and not at all the largest number feature - this is so, note to the programmer).
Yes, everything is possible on Linux. You can make a clock with a fish instead of a cuckoo if you find it and set it up (or write it yourself) suitable fish. But until the fish stops completely for unknown reasons moo like a cow every day at exactly 13:50, you will have to sweat with the configurations. Even the fact that you need (it turns out) to check the “Enable Latin group” checkbox so that the Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Z key combinations work the same (a five-minute hassle, if you google it correctly), even this can at least cause confusion (if not anger ). No, I, of course, understand why this option is there, but I still don’t understand why it is disabled by default. And many similar little things that need to be done by hand (but you can bend them perfectly along the curvature own hands, for maximum ease of use).
But that’s not all that got me. Not even adventures in settings local network(which I never set up). It’s not even the thoughtfulness of OpenOffice and not the fact that to add page numbers to a document in it you need to perform two actions, not just one (create a header and footer and manually insert a variable field with a number into it). To be honest, I was finally annoyed by the message that suddenly appeared from Mandriva, in which she asked me to buy it (switch to the cool Pro version, with technical support, blackjack and cows). It seems like a harmless message (not a banner chasing the user around the page), but it still smelled very strongly of the spirit of antiquity - cracks, keygens and so on. And so I wanted to return to my familiar environment...
I wanted it so much that I suddenly found out that as a student, it turns out, I am entitled to a free (!) license not only for Windows 7, but also for Visual Studio and many other small-software developments (including the XNA game development environment, many useful things for the same studio, but there was not a single office on the list). After all, my university is part of Microsoft’s program to provide poor starving children in Africa to students around the world with its products. I pulled off the licensed axis (a couple of months before the end of my studies - again I guessed the time, I hope the license is not too limited in time; however, now the process of hacking the seventh windows scares me much less), I marked a piece of the hard drive with it in NTFS and am happy. Sometimes I still go to Mandriva to remember the past.
In general, it is easier to hack a few critically needed things than to reinvent the fish, that is, the wheel, every time. Moral: laziness is the engine of progress.
Tags: OS, holivar
At some point, Linux became a familiar tool for me. There was Red Hat, there was SUSE, and then a new distribution appeared that did not exist before - Ubuntu. This distribution became my first Linux "with human face" Largely because the developers set themselves a clear and precise task: to create a distribution that a housewife can install. Download from the Internet, click “next”, “next”, “next” and that’s it. It could be automatically installed next to Windows, while Ubuntu could (again automatically) reduce the partition for Windows, allocate space there for itself, install on the drive where Windows is already installed, work and not interfere. And this was an attempt to create Linux “with a human face,” which, in my opinion, was absolutely successful. Precisely because Ubuntu was available not only to professionals and not only to people from an academic environment (as a response to industrial or work needs), but also to ordinary people.
Linux at home: surfing the web and home video
In 2008, I chose Ubuntu for home for several reasons: firstly, it made it very easy to install multimedia codecs (audio, video, mp3, DVD, Xvid, etc.). The person clicks “install” - everything is installed and working. Secondly, unlike many well-known, established and conservative distributions, Ubuntu had a fresh set of software. Yes, it was not always stable, something could freeze or break, but it was updated frequently, these problems were solved and, therefore, the software set was always fresh. This constant freshness attracted me greatly at that moment. Because I personally always have a yearning for something new - and the “eternally new” Ubuntu really responded to this yearning. And at the moment - in 2015 - he answers exactly the same as in 2008.
Today, for me, Ubuntu is the No. 1 distribution that I, as the CIO of a mature system integrator and as an advanced IT specialist, am happy to use wherever I can. On a home desktop computer, on a laptop - for surfing the Internet, for editing, editing and viewing home video, since this distribution contains a dozen convenient, decent, free editors (Pitivi, Kdenlive, OpenShot), which completely suit me as convenient tools for simple home video editing. By the way, I started making a lot of videos before and after the birth of a child. My wife and I were given a camera, and I started filming a lot. I must say that when shooting I mainly used the AVCHD format. And so, except on hardware players and in Linux, it was not reproduced anywhere humanly. At least in Linux it certainly didn’t make my home computer buzz, puff and smoke when playing videos.
Windows generation vs. generation of Linux?
At some point, having completely mastered Linux at home, I began to seriously think about using this OS at work. Unfortunately, the majority of Russian IT specialists are focused on working with Windows. They are “tailored” for this OS. We can say that they are born with it, they grow “inside it.” This is facilitated by both the high popularity of Windows on home PCs and the focus on Windows educational process- from school to higher education.
And naturally it turns out that even developed IT specialists working for system integrators, specialists with broad, deep expertise good quality It is often more comfortable to come and work mainly in Windows. This is a huge success for Microsoft, which created the system. A complete closed cycle that grows Windows users from childhood. These users, becoming IT professionals, in turn, successfully raise the next generation of users of this OS.
Linux at work: monitoring the performance of open source software projects
Unlike them, at some point I realized that I could not only use Linux in my service, but also get additional benefits from it. Working at that time in an average, but already mature integrator as a leading specialist in the IT outsourcing department, I began to actively look for problems that could be effectively solved using open source software.
And almost immediately I paid attention to the development of my company’s monitoring system. The main thing turned out to be to provide the head of the IT outsourcing department with a rational justification for these changes and connect this with our main priority - the constant increase in the number of clients with high level management culture (medium and large businesses) and an increase in the quality of their service.
Fortunately, the head of the department turned out to be receptive to a new person who thought first of all about the benefit for clients and the benefit for us as an IT service provider. He gave the go-ahead for testing free analogues, understanding that for an IT outsourcer relying on good long-term relationships with clients, open source software has a much greater advantage over paid products than for any other IT company.
Nagios, Zenoss or Zabbix?
For testing, we chose three systems based on open source software: Nagios, Zenoss, Zabbix. After careful testing and analysis, we decided to change the Advanced Host Monitor monitoring system, which was not very well suited for our work profile, built on Windows, to a much less resource-intensive and suitable for us Zabbix monitoring system based on Linux and open source software. And now for more than five years, having gone through with us difficult path, having changed several versions and now processing two orders of magnitude more data, this system helps us provide the same high quality work with clients throughout Russia.
Now our monitoring system for both clients and our company is configured automatically. That is, as soon as a new server is added or turned on (whether Windows or Linux), it is configured completely automatically. In other words, we have eliminated manual settings: here is a mail server, here is a database server - their place has been taken automatic setting. Translated into business language, this means zero labor costs and a significant reduction in impact. human factor(For example, a specialist forgot that there is a disk, forgot that there is a certain service, forgot that important program, and as a result, the IT outsourcer may miss a failure or an event affecting the availability of services.) Now, thanks to a Linux-based monitoring system, we are deprived of all these misfortunes that are understandable to others.
VyOS for clients: no "rake", please!
Let me give you another example of successful replacement of a proprietary product with open source software. A significant portion of our customers used the Microsoft TMG firewall, which provides companies with Internet access, intrusion protection, etc. At some point, Microsoft stopped supporting it and we had to look for an alternative. Of course, here we began to look towards open source software and quite quickly found what we needed: a specialized Linux distribution designed for setting up Vyatta firewalls, and now VyOS. Clients love it. And even more so for us - we can build networks without regard to the need for license fees, create fault-tolerant systems, rationally divide functions between individual routers, transfer successful solutions between clients, etc. The success of this solution was greatly facilitated by the fact that we did not “attack on a rake”, and, taking into account our previous experience with open source software, we initially approached the issue of choosing and using a distribution kit systematically. First, we conducted thorough testing and analysis of the product, then we transferred our test laboratory to it, then the production environment. We developed a holistic concept, standard solutions and regulations for its use, and trained staff.
From point solutions to the development of open source software
Now, looking back, I understand that these projects brought us much more benefit than we initially thought. Thanks to the absence of license fees and high possibilities for adaptation specifically to our tasks (due to open source code), these solutions have turned from a system that provides core activities into a separate project area. We have also significantly expanded our capabilities in conducting complex IT audits for most customers.
But there is no doubt that open source software in a corporate environment also has many disadvantages related to local personnel issues and the general personnel crisis in IT, sometimes low code quality, often lack of support, etc. Therefore, when choosing open source software, any system integrator needs to take a more serious approach to making decisions than usual and take on a significantly greater measure of personal responsibility for these decisions. Largely because he does not have a powerful corporation behind him that can be blamed for possible miscalculations.
Free Software Community: You're Not Alone
Using and developing Zabbix, we “felt first-hand” another main advantage of open source software: you are not left alone with the manufacturer. And you are not obliged to accept the rules of the game imposed on you.
Alas, when interacting with a proprietary software vendor, the consumer can rarely influence the latter: if the vendor wants, he will solve the consumer’s problem by adding the functionality he/she needs. If he doesn’t want or can’t bring the issue to the scale of mass issues, he won’t solve it. Since it will be unprofitable for him for production and business reasons.
Yes, finalizing open source software is difficult, it may be “painful”, or it may not work out. But everyone can try, every single-minded and smart user or company has a chance to create something on their own, something that will bring people the most real, pure benefit.
Where I can, due to production needs, I use Ubuntu Server (mainly when testing new products with internal customers). In other cases, we use a combination of CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
For those customers who are not ready to pay the cost of licenses, but are ready to use open source software, and for those who do not see additional benefits in commercial support, we suggest using CentOS. For the same (larger) portion of clients for whom it is important to have OS support or for whom support is required by strict internal regulations, we suggest using RHEL.
What do CIOs think about open source software?
Often, IT managers, even if they have the necessary competencies, are not eager to take on additional responsibility and use open source software without commercial support. And this is understandable. After all, the situation with any new IT initiatives and products in a business of any scale and focus is often such that when everything is good, no one will praise the CIO, and when something is bad, all responsibility for it inevitably falls on him. And here the phrase “we contacted the support service, they acknowledged the incident, we are waiting for a response and solution” serves as a kind of shield for the CIO and his people.
Although, in my opinion, in a situation where the CIO on the side of the client company really understands the subject, when he is deep in the topic, he has enough resources, specialists and competencies, he can and should take this responsibility upon himself. Because at the end of the day the company has a chance to get a lot. Moreover, there is a community formed around free software, there are colleagues from the same market who are always ready to help in particularly difficult situations.
The importance of open source software for a system integrator’s business: the bottom line
For the strategic and operational development of the business of the right system integrator, the CentOS + RHEL combination is extremely convenient, because it perfectly meets the needs of both small and medium-sized, as well as large customers with a high management culture. And at the same time, it allows the IT service provider to unify solutions, reduce the number of specialists required to maintain competencies and significantly reduce the costs of providing services. All this has an extremely positive effect on the integrator’s competitiveness and its “survivability” in the market. This becomes especially true in difficult economic times. However, it is worth taking into account the fact that “you need to prepare the sled in the summer,” i.e., for obvious reasons, building a systematic work with open source software should begin when the market is on the rise.
Finally
When we are asked how many of your clients use open source software, I answer honestly: “Almost all of them, often without even realizing it.” And all because today it is almost impossible not to use open source software. After all, he is the future.
