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Scared or oblivious: Australia's SMEs on Linux

By Marcus Browne, ZDNet.com.au on February 27th, 2008

Topics

windows, sme, research, open source, linux, idc, deployment, business, report, analyst, melissa martin, software, ibm, dell

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Australian SMEs aren't paying nearly enough attention to Linux considering the top priority for their IT managers is to "reduce costs", but despite the prevailing attitude, it won't take much for open source to have a far greater impact in the near future, according to research released today.

A new report has predicted that the use of Linux by Australian SMEs will continue to grow steadily with little to no effort on behalf of distributors, although only seven percent of small businesses and 14 percent of medium businesses have a full server deployment of the software.

"The Linux market continues to behave like a relatively young, highly dynamic industry and continues to reinvent itself as customer adoption activities become more mainstream and widespread. Linux cannot be underestimated in terms of overall market impact going forward," said Melissa Martin, senior market analyst, enterprise end-user programmes at research firm IDC.

The analyst claimed it is too dismissive to subject Linux to the same standards of success as its proprietary rivals, saying: "The success of Linux should not be measured purely in terms of deployment numbers ... it's not going to take over Windows but people should be thinking about it more."

She suggested that it should instead be seen as a "disruptive technology" that is enabling the adoption of an industry standard OS that is pervasively used across many different form factors.

"My main criticism is that people dismiss the idea too quickly," said Martin. "There's evidence to suggest that a lot of users find it scary and shy away from it because they don't think they have the in-house skills to deal with it."

"Ironically, it's all the big vendors like IBM and Dell who are throwing their support behind open source, but it's sad that some users are afraid of what they don't know," she said.

According to the report, 13 percent of Australian small businesses were not even aware of the existence of Linux.

"In this day and age, you'd think that some people had been hiding under a rock to hear a figure like that," she said.

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Talkback

Leadership?

Try chickenship! Any Australian SME trying something new immediately gets his/her head chopped off.

AnonymousAnonymous February 28th, 2008
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Familiarity Breeds ????

Its simple - if a system/application is used at home and in the office, then comfort exists.

Linux is still the territory of Dilberts and not the general user.

When it gets easy to install, maintain, upgrade and most importantly - interoperates with Microsoft applications and document formats - then it will get better penetration.

The only way to beat Microsoft is to play their game instaed of always opposing them - collaborate with them and eat them out from the inside.

MattMatt February 29th, 2008
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Used Linux anytime in the last decade?

Somehow I doubt it. I'll use Ubuntu as an example because I know it -- it was extraordinarily easy to install, far more so than various Windows upgrades that I've also performed.

It has full compatibility with web standards, Firefox browser, Open Office reads MS file formats, I can play various Windows video files, open every conceivable format I ever did on Windows ... need I go on?

Any problems that still exist are all in the business now -- Ubuntu or any other form of Linux won't get consumer traction until computer business get behind it (and who knows if that will ever happen).

Microsoft achieved Windows dominance not by selling to users, but selling to manufacturers. It's almost impossible to buy a computer without Windows (well, unless you get a Mac of course) -- so people don't know any better.

Only a concerted effort by the Linux world to sell hardware manufacturers on their OSes will change this situation. And I agree it's a tough sell, but it's worth a try.

AnonymousAnonymous February 29th, 2008
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Here her

Too many people dismiss linux because they hold antiquated views of it.

My ebay-troll, near computer-illiterate wife uses ubuntu because "it is easier to learn and use" than Windows.

After a decade & a half of installing all the windows flavours (and having the misfortune of recently reinstalling XP), Ubuntu is so far ahead in terms of usability, it isn't funny.

It took 20 minutes on the same hardware that XP too 1½ hours, and I can start the process and walk away from it. Windows needs me to restart or input more info every 10 minutes.

Linux is easier, people are just too ignorant and most prefer to remain that way. I don't mind that all, because the virii can continue to target them and leave me alone

AnonymousAnonymous March 5th, 2008
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Happy to help

I am more than happy to show any interested Australian businesses the happiness that can be yours if you embrace Linux and Open Source.

http://www.devworldit.info

The Open Source Industry Association is also alive and well, and more than happy to help too.

http://www.osia.net.au

HamishHamish March 3rd, 2008
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Comfort in Subjugation

Such users are probably more comfortable being subject to the programs of proprietary software authors over choosing change their investments into migrating to and funding the development of free software.

For every Sydney SME business that I have done business with, I always find instances of helplessness because of the lack of right to tinker with the code. Whenever I teach them about being free to help themselves through free software, the overwhelming response is that "migrating from system x to system w costs so much money that we'd rather put up with the nonsense of helplessness over making a swift (and probably painful/costly) move to free software."

Moving away from proprietary systems tend to be painful because they are intended to keep you subject to them. They attract you with convenient and powerful features but keep you completely helpless when you to accept it. Such subjugation does not occur with free software.

Namae HaNamae Ha March 5th, 2008
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