IBM offers a 'Microsoft-free' desktop

By Nick Hortovanyi

I've been Microsoft Free for a while and a few people know about my efforts in this area. Giving up on Microsoft software for work was easy and it is not as painful as one may think.

This morning I received a tweet from Ric Hayman (aka Aqualung) about IBM's new offering on a 'Microsoft-free' desktop. Have also spotted the official press release - IBM and Business Partners Introduce a Linux-Based, Virtual Desktop.

A virtual desktop looks like a traditional desktop but is not limited to a single physical computer. Instead, many virtual Linux desktops are hosted on a server. The combined solution includes: 

• Virtual desktop provided by Virtual Bridges called Virtual Enterprise Remote Desktop Environment (VERDE);
• Ubuntu, the worldwide leading Linux desktop operating system, from Canonical; and
• IBM Open Collaboration Client Solution software (OCCS) based on IBM Lotus Symphony, IBM Lotus Notes and Lotus applications. IBM Lotus Symphony is built on the Open Document Format (ODF).

I hope there is a concerted effort to break this myth in corporates and government institutions by IBM regarding Microsoft desktops as being the only viable option. The current economical circumstances may also give impetus towards alternatives like this. 

However, a good starting point would be for IBM to drink their own champagne and roll it out internally. I guess we'll wait and see what happens.

Tags desktop microsoft linux ibm msfree   |  Comments 1