Every day both private and public companies and institutions are involved in the world of computing; Due to the need to satisfy the needs of the client, that is why the requirement of having a robust, reliable operating system and the main thing is to reduce costs while maintaining quality. Especially the cost of acquiring the software and the total cost of ownership in the long run.
Development
Nowadays in our country the use of free software is beginning to be successful and it is becoming known day by day. Since some Internet service provider companies use it for the security, robustness, reliability and handling offered by the famous free software.
Other justifications in the much mentioned use of Linux such as taking advantage of the organization's IT infrastructure, the stability it provides, access to its kernel (customization), being independent of the provider, security, speed with technological advances to mention a few (IPv6 microprocessors of 64 bit), scalability (cluster of hundreds of machines), interoperability, documentation that exists in addition to that there are many development communities on the Web.
Although this move is already known to some in the field. But what does this free software roll have to do with it? It has its antecedents long ago with the famous GNU (Not UNIX) project supported by its founder Richard Matthew Stallman. The Linux operating system was born in the mid-1980s created by Linus Torvalds. The objective is to develop a completely free Unix-like operating system, where its source code is available to anyone who has knowledge in the area of computer science and can study, modify and distribute it.
In contemporary Mexico there is more and more demand from companies to improve quality, service, costs, security, among many other aspects; Let's touch a bit on the cost that the organization incurs when it comes to acquiring software; From the outset we must consider software by logic that deals with more than an operating system due to the need for effective management of its infrastructure. We can speak of major words of use of Linux since it can work on more than 20 different hardware platforms.
A clear example of the use of free software is demonstrated by the DF government. Free Software such as GDF / Linux Government, instead of Proprietary or Non-Free Software, is that it saves significantly by acquiring or updating operating system licenses, office automation and antivirus packages among others, representing an economy between 6,000 and 9,000 pesos per every personal computer.
The future that lies ahead is to be considered. Let's pay attention to the opinion of Ron Hovsepian, president and chief operating officer of Novell.
"Open source means a new world of business and technical options"
The executive said that the business market tends to use open source in addition to saving costs, so that organizations are more flexible, efficient and responsible and form more productive intra- and inter-company relationships and improve security.
Among his opinions based on a survey where he is rated on a scale of 1 to 20. Novell's world president mentions; users prefer Linux at 19.1 for reliability, 16.3 for security, and 15.9 for performance.
To compete with our beloved Microsoft, two forces of the free world Open Source Developer Labs and the Free Standards Group; They will join forces to form a Linux Foundation which will aim to support the growth and innovation stage of Linux. It can be concluded that we will have a better use of resources in all computing areas.
In Mexico, some recognized leaders such as Fernando Romo, Sandino Araico, José Luis Chiquete and Miguel de Icaza comment that the one who uses Linux is no longer only the university student or an advanced programmer, but also renowned companies IBM, HP and Novell They use this operating system in their respective technological infrastructure.
Thus, in our country, the use of Linux is a recent phenomenon, it is said that at the beginning of last year at ExpoComm 2006, in which The Linux World is considered as the baptism of fire in the business sector.
Although it is affirmed that in our country an enemy against is “piracy”. Why? It simply speaks of a freedom of licenses by logic piracy does not need it, the precursors of Linux in Mexico affirm that this activity is greater.
In addition, the other problem is the famous commercial systems that are used and that are the most popular and known among users.
The CEO of proprietary software Kiyoshi Tsuru comments that in our country seven out of ten computers use pirated software. This implies that software creators have to fight against national pirates. In addition there are people with a high technical level of specialization but they are overshadowed by the same unfair activity.
Another problem or obstacle that exists is the lack of information, which implies that real options that are based on Linux and that can be used, supported and tested have to be made known or presented to corporate users and to the government itself.
José Luis Chiquete affirms that in the future Mexico will have to compete with the competition and that in reality both at the government and business level they see Linux as a viable option.
Technological competence; Linux in Mexico is made or worked through government policy of technological neutrality, this route is a bit slow, which is why it lags behind other countries such as Brazil and India.
In a vision of interoperability when the level of knowledge is higher and that this technology is independent, then it is said that now if you are in a technological competition to you for you.
Myths about Linux among users who have not used Linux:
Generation by itself technological autonomy when in fact it is wrong.
Free software and Linux are safe: This is if there is not a person behind and an organization that really takes its own culture is useless if we have the best system.
Linux is free or pirated. All knowledge requires a learning effort, the difference with Linux is that you have the possibility of learning this personally only when you cannot buy professional services, in addition to the fact that it is understood that there is an implicit cost in time and resources.
Some sites where you can start with Linux, currently there are portals on the internet (www.Linuxparatodos.net, www.cofradia.org), mailing lists specialized in Linux (www.Linux.net.mx/listas.php).
There are commercial and non-commercial Linux distributions in which we can have a version that we want to know or manage.
Comparison of some Linux distributions
| Non-commercial | Commercial | |
| ArchLinux (optimized for i686 processors) | Debian GNU / Linux | |
| Aurox (based on Red Hat Linux) | Fedora Core | |
| BestLinux | Gentoo | |
| Bluewall | Mandriva Linux | |
| ByzantineOS | Rxart | |
| Debian (x86 / PPC) | Slackware Linux | |
| CentOS (based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux) | SUSE Linux | |
| Fedora Core (x86 / PPC) (based on Red Hat Linux) | ||
| Gentoo Linux (x86 / PPC) | ||
| Gnoppix (based on Ubuntu, formerly Debian, standalone CD) | ||
| gNewSense (official GNU distribution) | ||
Conclusions
The future of Linux can not say an exact date where the operating system in its respective versions is known as the most common that is known and most of us know how to use. The use will be determined at the time by each company and according to their need.
The key point is that having the best operating system in the world is useful if it is not 100% managed.
Bibliography
www.efytimes.com/e1/fullnews.asp?edid=16900
www.gnu.org.mx
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU/Linux
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribuci%C3%B3n_Linux
www.iworld.com.mx/iw_Opinions_read.asp?IWID=35
