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On 24/09/12 23:17, bad apple wrote:
On 24/09/12 22:34, Rob Beard wrote:Oh I know what you mean! :-) Where I'm working at the moment they use a mixture of applications for CAD stuff, some use AutoCAD, others use a package called EdgeCAM and some of the engineers use some Siemens application which I understand is also available natively for Linux as well as Windows.That's NX I believe? It does have a native linux port.
Yeah it's a bit of a beast too... I was installing it earlier off 3 DVDs :-/ :-P
How I understand it, Linux is making inroads at the company but more in the datacentres than on the local desktops. Still a couple of guys at work have an interest in Linux and use it (not entirely sure how much, I think it might be something that play with occasionally in their spare time. Rob
You're not wrong - basically, linux is heavily used by the technical, to do technical things. Network engineers, Google programmers, super-computer sysadmins, ISPs, telcos... all of these types use linux constantly to do their heavy lifting and linux has basically cannibalised an increasingly large percentage of what used to be the lucrative and fragmented Unix market. Servers and workstations, basically, only touched by the highly trained and the highly geeky. Everyone else just uses whatever shipped on their latest laptop of course (and who can blame them? normal people don't like configuring operating systems).
Yep, seems to be the experience I've had. I used to work at a scientific research institute years back (going back 10 years since I left) and when I started they had a mix of SUN Ultrasparc, SGI Indy (which I got a little excited about :-D), DEC Alpha, Windows and Mac. When I was leaving they'd pretty much standardised on Windows XP desktops some dual booting with RedHat Linux and Macs running a combination of OS 9 and OS X :-)
The reason there will probably never be a year of linux on the desktop is basically just inertia. The ~1% of global linux desktops are usually the home computers of the technical types who use linux at work and any of their unfortunate friends and family who will doubtless end up being converted after one too many "can you help my computer has another virus" home support calls. Outside of IT professionals and hobbyists, nobody really cares enough to bother switching.
Yep, I think that is the sad truth. Just need more Linux geeks out there to spread the word :-D
I do wonder if there will be more uptake on Linux though when Windows 8 comes out, I mean ComputerActive and some of the more technical mags seem to have Linux articles so maybe more slightly technically minded people will try it and tell their non-technical friends.
Happily, my Mum insists on linux rather than windows on her main computer, and even for technical reasons. Sadly, said technical reason is that she prefers the version of Solitaire included with Gnome to the Windows version.
LOL that's awesome! :-) Well I guess for her, that's her killer app. :-D Rob -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq