[H-GEN] sun guns for the desktop and for bill

Sarah Hollings sarah at humanfactors.uq.edu.au
Thu Jan 29 01:37:48 EST 2004


Harry Phillips wrote:
> [ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and     ]
> [ Unix-related topics. Posts from non-subscribed addresses will vanish. ]
> 
> Harry Phillips wrote:
> 
>>
>>>
>>> http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/media/features/schwartz-ms.html
>>>
>>
>> I just had a look at that web site and it has a link to "Sun Java 
>> Desktop"
>>
>> Has anyone used that product as a replacement for Windows? What was it 
>> like? Can you run Windows programs without computability issues?
>>
>> Has anyone got a copy?
>>
> 
> Don't bother replying, I have had a more extensive read of the web site, 
> Windows replacement indeed. It's just a Linux distro with productivity 
> stuff that comes with it.

Its based on SUSE, and has been designed for commercial/government 
desktop application.

> I can easily do that myself with:
> 
> 1. Mandrake 9.2 (everything mentioned on the Sun site comes with MDK9.2)
> 2. Windows and OpenOffice.org.

Can you do that easily yourself when you have 100+ desktops to manage? 
What about if you have 1000+?

> Solution 1 only costs me time downloading the ISO's from 
> mirror.aarnet.edu.au at one of the HUMBUG meetings plus 99c for 3 CD-R's.

How much support guarantee do you get with that?  Red hat up-to-date - nope.

> Solution 2 only costs $144AUS.

You can no longer buy Windows 98.  Windows is an acceptable solution - 
but do you have valid licences?  What is your support plan?

> The Sun Java Desktop costs $100US / p.a. (probably ~$150AUS) and for 
> that yearly fee you can't run your Windows apps like MYOB, where as with 
> Windows you can.

Its currently $50 US (they're offering it 1/2 price at present).

 From UQ Licencing and Maintenance Agreements at ITS:
> We can purchase licences for US$31.25 (Approx. AUD$40).
> This price includes your licence to use, right to upgrades and web support.


> Let me ask you, why would I want to pay a *yearly* fee to Sun so that I 
> can't run Windows apps when I can pay a once off fee and I can run MYOB?
> 
> Good luck Sun, you are going to need it. Bill must be laughing his arse 
> off after reading that.

The point is support.  I think you have missed the point:

    http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=1935381949&eid=-301

If I am doing something just for Sarah Hollings, fine I'll download 
whatever experimental stuff I feel like playing with.  I can support 
myself.  For work, I need to set up something that will work.  If I get 
hit by a bus, where does the support come from?

For the desktop machines I'm responsible for in position as an IT 
Manager I have to provide a sustainable maintainable solution.  I have 
to be able to be able to answer the question "How can you show that you 
have licences for all the software running on these machines?".

Right now that either means replacing PII's and PIII's running Win98 
with P4's[1] so I can run XP; or finding another way.

Crossover office will run the MS Apps if needed.  I'd prefer open office 
but users have their preferences.  Browsers and email clients are not a 
problem.

On games and paying for software:  this is not relevant for work.  But 
at home I have signed up and paid real money for linux software from 
wwww.transgaming.com - its a port of DirectX to linux and it'll run 
almost the latest games for wintel.

Rgds,
-- 
Sarah Hollings                     IT Manager
sarah at humanfactors.uq.edu.au       The ARC Key Centre
Ph +61 7 33656080                  for Human Factors and
Mb +61 416 045401                  Applied Cognitive Psychology

Note [1]:  You can get a PIII > 550 or so to run XP, especially if you 
up the memory to >= 256MB, but it's a dog.





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