How a Business Successfully Transitioned from XP to Linux

Just read a good example of how a business successfully transitioned to Linux in the publication TechRepublic.  More specifically, Auberge migrated 1000 users in eight properties from Windows XP to Chromebooks (using Chrome OS).  Change is usually not that easy, particularly when you have a user base used to Windows terminology, navigation and applications.

If you're planning to change to a different ecosystem of terminology, navigation and applications, it's best to start out small and gradual.  Pick the low hanging fruit first to convert.  Once, the migration has successfully occurred and the situation has stabilized, then you can move on to the next area in your business to convert.

The IT Director in this example was very thorough and conservative enough in his approach to organizational change, which allowed him and his staff to appropriately deal with any speed bumps in their first launch.  He left the Design and Finance departments to deal with last, because they dealt with specialty applications which couldn't be easily converted to Google apps. 

I have recommendations for this IT Director.  If the intention is to get off the XP platform to a platform and ecosystem which reduces the total cost ownership (TCO) of maintaining and running applications and infrastructure, then he can transition the Design and Finance departments to Ubuntu Studio or Linux Mint distributions.  He could have the Design team learn Scribus, Blender, Inkscape and Gimp for design work and publishing on the Ubuntu Studio OS.  In the
meantime, Finance could use LibreOffice Calc from the LibreOffice suite as a replacement for Excel.  (See my related post on transitioning to LibreOffice.)  Keep in mind that should they later transition to a Chromebook Pixel, they can use LibreOffice Calc from the cloud via rollapp services. 

For Newbies Migrating from XP to Linux

Dear Newbie,

Congratulations for making the decision to move from Windows XP to Linux!  You won't regret your decision.  Why?  Well, as Shakespeare would say, "Let me count the ways."

1.  Your computer won't slow down due to malware you accidentally downloaded from your PC when you either surfed the web, clicked on some weird looking dialog box or opened up an attachment by a trusted person you know.  (Say "good-bye" to issues like this.)

2.  You won't have to run an anti-virus software program which updates the latest virus and malware definitions every time you touch your PC.

3.  You won't have to scan your PC every time you need to use your PC.

4.  You won't have to quarantine some malware or spyware that your anti-virus software caught and remove it.

5.  You won't have to defrag your PC at all, which you got used to routinely doing every week or every time your PC had a major slowdown.

6.  You won't have to restore your PC after frequently getting "Blue Screen of Death" crashes.

7.  You won't have to spend a dime on Linux equivalent alternatives for wordprocessing, spreadsheet, presentation, database and email software that you're accustomed to paying a subscription or licensing fee on.

8.  You can choose from the many Linux distros found here and try them out for free to determine which one suits your needs best.

9.  Once you get the hang of using Linux, you can go distro-hopping and learn more about Linux programs which pertain to you.

10.  When you go from newbie to an experienced Linux user, you can change your desktop look and feel, besides distro-hopping, to designs which appeal to you.

11.  You can participate in a Distro community to shape future designs and functionality of your distro of choice.

12.  You have now expanded your capacity to use tools not locked into specific vendor ecosystems, which will lower your total cost of technology ownership in the long run.

To make sure you create and maintain a pleasant experience with the Linux distro you've chosen, make sure you use a LTS version.  LTS means "Long Term Support" version.  Why?  Because it will be supported longer in terms of bug fixes or security patches.  For example, Ubuntu 12.04 and Linux Mint 13 are LTS versions.

Sure, it may be sexy to use the latest release of a distro with all the fancy bells and whistles of new functionality that may come with it.  However, you must also make sure the functionality you rely on works for your current computing needs.  Chances are the new release hasn't ironed out all the bugs and compatiblity issues yet so you're better off being conservative.  Trust me on this.

The other important task you need to familiarize yourself with is backing up your Linux system.  Here, it will serve you well to err on the side of caution before installing any Linux system updates, upgrading your Linux distro or installing new software on your Linux OS.  You MUST back up your Linux OS before you do anything new to your Linux OS.  Why?  Because you don't want to be dealing with figuring out "technically" how to fix the software program you relied on daily that got broken from an update or some rogue code you downloaded.  Trust me on this!!!

I use Clonezilla, which takes an image backup of your entire Linux OS.  That means whatever was stored on your Linux OS at that time, whether it be data, programs, configuration details, file system, etc. is all zipped up and stored on that image backup.  I followed the Clonezilla instructions to store it on a USB.  Then I plugged in another USB to store the image backup.  It's worked out very well for me.  Just make sure that your USB, DVD or extra Hard Drive has enough capacity to store the image backup.  That's the only caveat.

This blog and my website has many more tips on using Linux.  Welcome aboard to a new adventure and newfound freedom from tedious system administration tasks and from proprietary, locked in ecosystems.

Windows XP Support Ends April 8, 2014: What Do I Do Now?

If you are currently using a Windows XP PC and are concerned about its support ending soon, April 8, 2014, to be exact, here are some options you should consider.  It's all going to boil down to either keeping your PC or purchasing a new one.  Keep in mind that I am listing the options from the perspective of a Windows XP user who wants a familiar interface and user experience comparable to their XP experience.

Keeping Your PC

If you would like to salvage your PC and continue to use it until it physically falls apart, you can install:

1.  Windows 7 - This option may not work if your hardware cannot fully support Windows 7 or if running tasks appear to be slower than with XP on it.  Check to make sure your PC meets these requirements in order to run Windows 7 well.

2.  Ubuntu - This option may not work due to Unity 3d graphics requirements.  Therefore, it is recommended to use a light version of Ubuntu such as Xubuntu or Lubuntu.

3.  Linux Mint - I would recommend the XFCE version of Linux Mint, which is lighter than its other versions Cinnamon and MATE.
  
4.  Nothing - Just use the Windows XP PC as a backup device for legacy Windows files and programs for you to reference until you've converted them to a format compatible with your new PC.  Do not connect it to the Internet or your local computer network to avoid being infected by viruses or malware.  Let it stand alone.  For printing documents, you may allow limited connection to your local computer network to enable printing from your network printer.  Otherwise, print using a USB connection to your printer.

Buy New PC

If you prefer not to keep your old hardware and buy a new PC, you can buy the following:

1.  Buy a Windows 7 PC - There are still some retailers on-line who offer Window 7 PC's.  Microsoft supports Windows 7 until 2017.

2.  Buy a MAC - You may spend quite a bit more but at least navigation within this user interface is more intuitive than Windows 8.1.  You at least know that all the applications within the MAC are comparable to Windows applications in terms of ease of use and working out of the box.

3.  Buy an Ubuntu PC - You won't spend as much as a MAC but the cost will be slightly more than a Windows 7 or 8 PC.  However, over the long run the total cost of ownership will be less than owning a Windows PC.  Due to most Linux applications being free and open sourced, there are a lot of good applications comparable to Windows for daily use.  However, according to what I've researched over the web, there is no comparable applications to Adobe Photoshop or Sony Vegas Pro.  (Check out Gimp or Inkscape as potential substitutes for Photoshop.  Check out Openshot Editor as a potential substitute for Sony Vegas Pro.) 

4.  Buy a Linux Mint PC - You won't spend as much as a MAC but the cost will be  slightly more than a Windows 7 or 8 PC.  My assessment of Linux applications is the same as in #3 above.

5.  Buy a Chromebook - This will be the cheapest purchase option for people who don't mind being heavily dependent on the cloud for their daily computing and file storage tasks.

Re-purpose the Old XP PC and Buy a Chromebook or Tablet

1.  Convert XP to Linux Mint on old PC for heavy computing tasks and use a Chromebook or Tablet for most computing tasks.

2.  Convert XP to Ubuntu on old PC for heavy computing tasks and use a Chromebook or Tablet for most computing tasks.

What Is Your Use Case?

Are you a Developer?

Are you a Graphics Designer/Artist?

Are you a Film maker?

Are you a Gamer?

Are you a Business user?

Are you an average Home user?

Depending on your use case, your needs can differ significantly from another user so keep that in mind when exploring your options.  What you should be trying to find out is what set of computing tasks do you primarily use your PC for and make your decision accordingly.

For example, if you are an average Home user and you spend most of the time on the Internet, social networking, reading, watching Netflix or shopping on-line, the Chromebook may be all you need with your old PC as your "Production" device.  What I mean by that is you primarily use your old PC to run MS Office applications and do work on.

Anyone that does mostly computer programming, filmwork, video editing or photo editing should probably choose a PC other than a Chromebook for their "Production" device.

As for me, I do all of the above just fine with my dual boot Linux Mint 14/Ubuntu 12.04 Toshiba Satellite purchased in 2008.  There are occasional stutters and pixel fragmentation when I have multiple applications open simultaneously but for the most part, I've done splendidly with my daily work.  With some software upgrades I have experienced bugs in some Linux applications.  For example, there is a slight lag in the Cheese webcam software on my hardware and on some PC's it crashes when trying to capture a video.  However, when I use Google Hangouts, my webcam works just fine.  Keep in mind I am using these Linux distributions on hardware which were originally optimized for Windows.  I'm certain my experience would be a lot smoother had I purchased a Linux laptop.

So, hopefully, you found this post useful in helping you make a decision on what to do with Windows XP.  With only 3 months to go for XP support ending, you can at least take some Linux distros on a test drive.

Why Now Is A Good Time to Migrate to Linux

Recently, I learned that the City of Munich completed a decade long project to free itself out of perpetually supporting proprietary OS software which would have forced them to continue investing in more software and hardware upgrades according to the time-line of their proprietary vendor, Microsoft.  Although, they made a brave decision to go to uncharted territory with Linux in the face of increasing pressure from Microsoft, they proved that with dedication, time and intelligent decision-making, particularly with regard to change management practices, they could overcome all hurdles.  I applaud their efforts as changing the practices of an entire organization is not an easy feat to accomplish.

Here are good reasons why right now is a good time to migrate to Linux:

1.  Windows XP will no longer be supported by Microsoft after April 8, 2014. -  This means that no further updates by Microsoft will cause a Windows XP PC to be vulnerable to new malware and viruses developed after the update expiration date.

2.  Migrating to either Windows 7 or Windows 8 will require new software, new hardware and extensive training costs. - The user interface of Windows 7 is not as dramatically different as Windows 8 is for an XP or Vista user.  However, Windows 8 is completely different with the new Metro interface.  From the reviews I've seen, it does not appear to be as "intuitive" or "efficient" in terms of executing common computer tasks as the best Microsoft OS, in my opinion, which is Window 7.  This means you will have to re-train your staff to use the newer version of Windows, incurring more training costs.  If your hardware is 32-bit or several years old, chances are Windows 7 or 8 will be struggling to work optimally on the legacy hardware, if it does work at all.  If you pick a Linux distribution, which does not consume too much CPU resources, you can get it to work well on that old hardware.  What I've seen recommended for beginners is:  Elementary OS, Zorin, PuppyLinux, Linux Mint (XFCE) and Ubuntu.  For very old hardware, I wouldn't recommend the latest versions of Ubuntu.  Since Ubuntu has other variations such as Kubuntu and Lubuntu, you may want to explore the lighter versions on that hardware to get optimal use out of it.  Given that you will need new hardware, software and incur training costs to use the latest version of Windows anyway, you might as well consider alternatives like Linux.

3.  Applications today are heading toward a web-based model, which does not depend on a particular OS platform.  - A decade ago, most home users ran applications native to their operating system.  Most application vendors created applications specifically to run optimally on the Windows OS, which is the dominant desktop OS and still is.  However, now that a lot of applications are being consumed by people from the internet such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Apps, Instagram, there is really no need to be tied down by a Windows OS.  Sure, you will encounter some specialized applications that you absolutely must run on a Windows PC, whether it's for school or work.  But, you can get around that by either dual booting Linux with Windows, creating a Windows virtual OS partition on your Linux PC or keeping an old Windows PC as backup.

4.  Linux frees you from proprietary vendor lock-in. - There are many distributions on the desktop for Linux, providing you with many choices to enable the "best fit" for your situation.  There are many applications available for desktop Linux, most of which are free.  You no longer need to buy applications that are made just for Windows, which will cost you a pretty penny.  Of course, there may be some applications that you got used to using in Windows that you cannot find a comparable "quality" experience in Linux such as Adobe Photoshop.  (That's where the dual booting, Windows virtual directory or keeping a spare old Windows PC comes in handy.)  However, with each passing year the number of Linux applications increase both in quality and quantity. (Are you keeping track of the number of Steam games being developed for Linux, by the way?)

5.  The modularity of Linux enables you to customize your IT solution to meet your specific organizational needs. - The City of Munich took the Ubuntu distribution and customized it to specifically meet their needs.  Why was this advantageous for them?  The first reason is that they could take out of the standard Ubuntu distribution anything that they didn't need which would have cluttered their PC CPU resources and leave in the features they absolutely had to have to run their business.  The second reason this was beneficial to them was that they could capitalize on getting professional support by Canonical, the engineering organization behind that popular distribution.

6.  Linux has better security features within its OS. -  Due to the nature of how Linux is designed, you don't need anti-virus software like you do with Windows.  Why?  First off, you can encrypt your /home folder, which is equivalent to the /users folder in Windows.  Second of all, the File structure of Linux enables "hidden" files and directories, which means they will be inaccessible should malware find its way to your PC.  Third of all, if you accidentally download malware it will not run on its own unless you specifically give it permission as a root user which is like the administrator role in Windows.  Last of all, the modularity of Linux component programs do not tie them tightly together so that if one program were affected it would not affect all programs in a "domino" effect, crashing your system.  The fact that Windows component programs are tied together tightly in an "inflexible" way is one of the reasons why it's easier to take down a Windows system.

7.  Linux is already widely used on the server side and client devices such as tablets and smartphones. - If you are already using Linux as a server for web applications or databases, you will be more familiar with it as you use it on the desktop.  Although, Android has a Java based front-end, it's back-end kernel is based on Linux.  That means the File Structure is very similar to the Linux desktop.  With all those similarities, if you are planning to move toward a Linux platform it will be easier for you to support with that familiarity across server and client hardware.

8.  Linux is gaining more support in areas it was traditionally weak in. -  Some of the weaknesses of using Linux was lack of driver support for hardware, the availability of quality games and playing Blue Ray DVD's which are limited by DRM.  With companies like Nvidia and Valve contributing to Linux, this is becoming less of an issue as time progresses.

9.  Using Linux will decrease IT operational costs over the long run when taking into account reduced IT software and hardware upgrades, IT license costs, IT asset management costs and IT licensing compliance costs.  -  Think about it, if you are running a business.  No licenses to keep track of means your IT staff won't be spending labor hours chasing non-compliant computers that don't have a Windows license.  Your hardware can last longer if you customize your Linux distribution to run what you absolutely need without hogging up CPU resources.  Your IT staff won't have to defrag PC's or install anti-virus software on them.  You can use networking tools to manage the administration of thousands of PC's using Landscape or Puppet.

I could go on and make this into a book but I'll stop here and let you digest what you've already read.  I think I've given you many good reasons why you should move to Linux now.  Keep in mind, from a cost perspective, that you need to do a feasibility study first.  That means you need to write up a Business case and determine if there is going to be a positive return on investment (ROI) in migrating to Linux.  Remember there are going to be one-time costs (migration) and recurring costs (IT operational), including asset depreciation.  Those need to be accounted for when writing up the business case.  I will cover how I would approach this on a later post in my website.  The cost perspective (translated into lower IT operating costs) is not the only advantage of using Linux.  It's the ability to negotiate better IT procurement contracts with your IT Suppliers that gives you the bigger advantage besides the reasons I listed above.  Why?  Because you won't be tied down to a specific Vendor's ecosystem of applications and hardware.  Linux has a variety of applications to meet most end user tasks and can be ported to many different types of hardware on the client side and the server side, increasing your freedom of choice.

Linux Mint Out of the Box

Hey guys and gals!  If you are currently using a Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 laptop and do not want to buy a Windows 8 laptop.  Here's an alternative for you.

The word is out from the creator of Linux Mint, Clem.  There will be a Linux Mint pre-installed box that can connect to a compatible monitor such as a TV or Desktop monitor.  It's not available yet but will be soon.  The details can be found on the link below:

Preview of the New MintBox

It will have the latest Linux Mint 15 OS called "Olivia".  I am currently on Linux Mint 14 aka "Nadia".