Does Linux have what it takes to...

[maclinwin]

Does Linux have what it takes to make it as a desk top working environment?

I would make this a poll but but any answers would be binary, yes or no, 1 or 0. More important are real answers or solutions as they may be.

Linux makes a great server. No doubt there. But can it replace a Windows desktop environment in a school or corporate environment as a workstation with roaming profiles? If so then how?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[carlosponti]

this is a discussion that has already happened. so many opinions were offered. its based on the person. i use it as a desktop pretty much replacing windows at home entirely. Is that for everyone, maybe not.

[Dark_Stang]

It seems as though every month a reporter from a random news outlet finds linux and says "This year is the year of linux." And at the same time, there is another reporter writing an article stating "Linux just isn't ready for the desktop."

You have to look at the facts. Linux is becomming more and more popular. The $100 computer project is going strong in poorer nations all over the world. Many governments refuse to use windows because of security problems. So, in my opinion, Linux is already the obvious choice to millions of people.

[maclinwin]

Thanks, but I search the forums, and others as well. This is a good group. I would like some NEW input.

I work with Mac workstations. I have roaming profiles working, in an environment where they are very necessary, very young students spread across two large buildings. This is using a Mac server, via OpenDirectory.

Mac server also supports Windows roaming profiles.

Linux supports Windows roaming profiles using Samba but only for Windows workstations.

Is there no solid solution for supporting a Linux client with roaming profiles regardless of server OS?

[maclinwin]

It seems as though every month a reporter from a random news outlet finds linux and says "This year is the year of linux." And at the same time, there is another reporter writing an article stating "Linux just isn't ready for the desktop."

You have to look at the facts. Linux is becomming more and more popular. The $100 computer project is going strong in poorer nations all over the world. Many governments refuse to use windows because of security problems. So, in my opinion, Linux is already the obvious choice to millions of people.

Thanks D_S but good intentions are short of a real solution.

As long as Linux workstations cannot support roaming profiles (not thin client solutions) it will remain a novelty in schools and corporate environments.

Bear with me. I'm not asking for opinions, or pointers to hypothetical discussion threads but if anyone has heard of any working solutions to this.

[likwid]

A roaming profile in linux is basically an NFS-mounted ~/ Or smb mounted ~/

[maclinwin]

A roaming profile in linux is basically an NFS-mounted ~/ Or smb mounted ~/

Likwid,

Good answer. One I've seen. Part of the solution.

A roaming profile is more than just mounting a HOME directory. Not too hard to mount via a script. That's what SMB uses as a PDC.

But how to set up the desktop. A script yes, but how to call it and configure it. Most roaming profiles use a hidden profile directory. I just don't know how to call it up.

Windows uses the "My Documents" folder and Mac's the user's account folder for the same in open directory. Can't a Linux workstation do the same, and how?

[likwid]

Well I was just thinking of the .gnome directories and etc that contain settings...

[cousinlucky]

For an individual that knows how computers function dropping Windows for Linux is probably relatively easy. However for someone like myself who hasn't the foggiest notion about how computers work and only used various versions of Windows; the transition can be very, very nerve-racking.

Windows is like the computer operating system for dummies. Windows does everything for you including emptying your wallet if you use it on-line. I have only used one Linux distro ( Suse ) and I have been told that someone like me should have started out with Ubuntu.

At any rate this is just my limited perspective. The repeated failures of Windows blindly drove me to Linux. I am an old man and Linux is like a new young wife that is going to take a lot for me to get to understand as well as get used to.

[Roxoff]

Likwid,

Good answer. One I've seen. Part of the solution.

A roaming profile is more than just mounting a HOME directory. Not too hard to mount via a script. That's what SMB uses as a PDC.

But how to set up the desktop. A script yes, but how to call it and configure it. Most roaming profiles use a hidden profile directory. I just don't know how to call it up.

Windows uses the "My Documents" folder and Mac's the user's account folder for the same in open directory. Can't a Linux workstation do the same, and how?

Huh? I think you've misunderstood. If the users ~ (i.e. their personal home directory) is shared from a single point on the network - it doesn't matter where they log on from, they get the same desktop. The same bookmarks in Firefox. The same cookies for loging onto their fave message boards. The same desktop background and icons. The same 'My Documents', 'cos their docs are in their home directory - the only place they are guaranteed write access to. No need for scripts. No need for 'profiles'.

I have this setup at home, a Samba-based PDC for the windows clients (which takes forever to boot up, 'cos it has to fetch all the info from the lan, and forever to closedown as it writes all the guff back to the server) and nfs-mounted /home for the Linux PCs. These copy nothing, so the connection is instant.

In my LAN, nfs-mounts work much better than roving profiles, all your docs are always there and all your setting are available.

There is only one 'gotcha' here - thats the sharing of GID and UID's across the lan. Windows Domains do it as part of the setup/logon process, Workgroups never need to worry, because access is only ever by uname/passwd combo, but NFS shares filesystems, not UID's - so it needs to be augmented by an NIS+, LDAP, Radius or simlar system. NIS is really simple to set up - I used it for a long time before I went to a full-on LDAP implementation which supports both my Windows Domain and my Linux lan.