[NBLUG/talk] Linux in offices initiative

[Steve S.]

Omar,

Good topic... feel free to "barge in and start blabbing" when it's a
nice meaty on-topic post!  :-D

Some of these things seem like real Linux issues; indeed, some of them
are rather larger than a local list can reasonably "solve," e.g. your
#1 (GUI tools reliable across multiple major releases):
intercompatibility between different Linuces' windowing environments
is a notable issue, and IMHO one that holds Linux back from greater
business acceptance.  Obviously, dev's can port... but when a business
is deciding what to implement, "can be ported easily / might be ported
someday" makes a less-than-compelling case... ;-)

Some of the others, honestly, are pretty generic business issues;
take, for example, your numbers 2 (backup) & 3 (cloud vs. local for
applications/servers) -- which these days IMHO are really best
considered as a set, with a coordinated data/app/server strategy.
This is a question that every business needs to address, and
Linux/Windows/OS-X/VMS/OS400/GEOS/whatever is less relevant than is a
cost/benefit/risk analysis of the issues.

On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 11:03 AM, Omar Eljumaily <omar at omnicode.com> wrote:
> Hello, I've been using Linux servers in a couple of small offices in Santa
> Rosa for about 15 years now.  I've developed a sort of laundry list of
> issues that I think would make things much easier for businesses to use
> Linux in their offices.
>
> I found your Linux user group and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts
> on the idea of developing a list of apps and/or best practices for using
> Linux in office settings.  I know there are already things like this in
> various forms, and a lot of apps that are already available.  Perhaps
> putting something like this together would be just a matter of assembling
> existing apps and information.
>
> Some of the issues that I deal with on a daily basis, and I believe aren't
> addressed in a formal manner for Linux are the following. I'm using Centos
> right now, but am in the process of moving to Ubuntu LTS for various
> reasons.
>
> 1. A robust, consistent solution for GUI based configuration management that
> works across major releases.
>
> 2.  Best practices for backup & mirroring, including recommendations for
> hardware and hot swapping.
>
> 3. A solution for cloud synchronization of local data.  Also concerning this
> issue would be a discussion of when (or if) it makes sense to run a local
> server as opposed to an offsite cloud server or application.
>
> 4. Standardized maintenance agreements with example pricing.
>
> 5. Firewall and security recommendations.
>
> 6. Development of a consistent platform for application serving. Some
> variation of LAMP, but with provisions for trials, plug and play, etc.
>
> These is a short and incomplete list.  Sorry to barge in and start blabbing
> about it.  I thought it would be nice to start a conversation with local
> people about this if anybody's interest.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Omar
>
>
>
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