InformationWeek

The issue facing mainstream software vendors is that they need to make a separate version of their product for each version of the Linux operating system from vendors such as Red Hat Inc. or Caldera Systems Inc., Yoo says.

Support for Linux on the desktop, however, has been growing, especially during the last six months.

Jack Wallen Jr., editor of Linux content for TechRepublic in Louisville, Ky., an IT information provider and subsidiary of Gartner Group, says IT managers can choose from at least three fully supported productivity suites.

Sun Microsystems released StarOffice last August after acquiring the software from Star Division. Also,Corel Corp. released a Linux version of its WordPerfect Office 2000 in March. In April, Applix Inc. created VistaSource Inc., a subsidiary, to sell its Linux applications, including its ApplixWare Officesuite.

Wallen says these three application suites are leading the move to the Linux desktop. Some of the individual applications outshine their Microsoft equivalents, while others are still a little rough around the edges. "All of these products are works in progress," Harman says, adding that they work well now and share the same basic functionality as Microsoft Office.

But beyond these applications, little yet exists for the Linux desktop that is fully supported by mainstream vendors. For example, there's not much in the way of a collaborative E-mail application, experts say. The most sophisticated, vendor-supported E-mail program at this point is Netscape Navigator. Navigator also offers a browser, which opens the Linux desktop to Web applications.

There's still little in the way of desktop publishing software to rival PageMaker or Quark, except for a robust PhotoShop shareware clone known as The Gimp, which doesn't come with support.

Also, little exists for a group management E-mail program to replace Microsoft Outlook, though Lotus Development Corp. with Notes and Novell with GroupWise are moving to support Linux.

IT managers hoping Microsoft will support Linux applications shouldn't hold their breath, Wallen says. He has queried Microsoft executives about their plans for Linux support and they wouldn't say much, he says.

Future repercussions from the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Microsoft could radically alter this situation, especially if the courts force Microsoft to break into separate companies or release the code for its operating system to the public.

IT managers whose companies run Linux on servers would seem to be the most open to using the operating system on their desktops. But many IT managers follow the thinking of Richard Smrcina, a systems software specialist for Grede Foundries Inc., a Milwaukee metal parts manufacturer.

Smrcina runs Linux on IBM's S/390 mainframe because it's free and open source for easy management, he says. But he has no plans to introduce Linux into the desktop environment.

"Linux on the server is one thing; IT people can understand it," Smrcina says. "But regular employees understand Windows because that's what they use on their home PCs."

Any company that uses Linux on the desktop must have a compelling reason, but at least now there are some mainstream choices available.

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