Personal Experience
Microsoft Windows may be the de facto standard desktop operating system in business environments, but high costs, restrictive licences and constant security issues are leading an increasing number of companies to consider open source alternatives
My first impression post-installation: This isn't just usable, it's darn quick. The GUI is quirky, but nice enough. At last, an appropriate operating system for the hardware. Now, how do I connect to Wi-Fi? In terms of hardware compatibility, this would be the acid test.
I looked in Applications, found the Network Connections utility, and fired it up. Bingo -- I was on the air. But hmm, no "view available wireless networks" list presented itself. I needed to know the SSID name and enter it along with the security info: done. (Only later did I discover that available wireless networks are displayed in a separate utility called Network Manager.)
On to the Evolution mail client. I hate Outlook Web Access, so I was looking forward to a nice little email client, which by all accounts Evolution was. Supposedly, if you chose Microsoft Exchange as the server type, all you needed to do was enter the username, OWA server URL, and password.
Business Proposition
Ubuntu is a living, breathing product of its community, so of course it's in constant flux. Despite the rough edges, I found myself liking the latest iteration of the product a lot.
The next phase of business computing is all about reducing the cost of ownership for client systems, not increasing it. Yes, we would all like to get out from under Microsoft Windows and Office licensing costs, but the endpoint security and logistical hassles of maintaining Windows are just as onerous. Ubuntu solves the security problem, but keeping users happy and productive would be quite a task.
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