Linux (mainly JDS) vs. Microsoft

Timing Perfect for Sun's Java Desktop System
by Tom Adelstein (March 23, 2004)
DesktopLinux.com

While the EU finalizes a fine of $613 million relating to Microsoft's
antitrust violations, Sun Microsystems appears poised to capture a large
piece of the desktop market for Intel based personal computers. As Sun
says on their Web Site, they have "delivered the first viable Microsoft
Windows alternative in fifteen years".

Since December, I have examined Sun's Java Desktop System (JDS) daily
and compared it to every desktop operating system I could find. Some may
not consider this a productive activity but I enjoy the work. Why have I
done it? To complete a book on JDS for one publisher and a market survey
for another.

Much of my research occurred in a lab where I compared JDS to every
distribution of Linux I could find. I also compared JDS to Windows 98SE
to XP and to Apple's Macintosh OS9 and OS X. I admit, my findings
surprised me.

To cover as much territory as possible, I read every entry in the JDS
Forum at Sun, daily reviews written in English and some in Spanish and
German. I have also interviewed Sun's product managers, their technical
manager, and members of the staff. Additionally, I have monitored the
developers' mailing lists.

From product reviews I have learned how much people do not know about
the Linux Desktop. From critics, I have wondered if they even used the
product. From the Linux users, I discovered how some understand and know
a great desktop when they see it and others need additional education.

Overall

The Java Desktop System provides a major win for Linux and a serious
blow to Microsoft. Rank this product miles ahead of the other
specialized Linux distributions. It's not a server but can work well in
a small office, home office network. It plays nicely with other Linux
distributions, Windows and Macintosh.

The major applications have tweaks that Sun added to make JDS special.
The key productivity applications include StarOffice, Evolution, GIMP,
Mozilla and gaim. They compete with Microsoft Office and Outlook, Adobe
Photoshop, Internet Explorer and AOL Instant Messenger. You can find
versions of these applications in other distributions but Sun's just
work better.

Office Productivity

Contrary to the raving of the OpenOffice.org community, StarOffice
outperforms the free version. I added fonts and compiled the latest
OpenOffice.org but I haven't achieved the performance increases or
quality of StarOffice. I have compared StarOffice to every version of
Microsoft from version 4.3 to 2003. As a Microsoft Product Specialist, I
say that StarOffice exceeds the quality of any MS Office product.

Once I learned to migrate mail, contacts, meetings, etc. from Outlook to
Evolution, I discovered how much I liked the Sun version. For Outlook
users, you'll find that Sun gives you a friendly interface and features
you don't get in Outlook.

Internet Applications

Sun gives you a full suite of Internet applications aside from a
terrific Internet Browser. Microsoft's Services for UNIX remind me of a
fax of a photograph in comparison. Even so, I have found some annoyances
with JDS. The VNC server I use for remote desktop connectivity doesn't
work in the current version of JDS. I also could not find a useful GUI
Secure FTP client.

To resolve the latter problem, I run WinSCP with Codeweavers Crossover
Office. For the makers of gFTP, I recommend building a version just for
Sun. Once I added Codeweavers to JDS I also installed the Win32 version
of eFax instead of using the Web Interface for Linux.

Virtual Network Computing or VNC has two components: A client and a
server. The VCN client works perfectly with JDS. In the forthcoming JDS
Release II, Sun's product managers assure me than VNC server will come
bundled.

Graphics and Multi-media

JDS offers a complete suite of graphic tools with the GNU Image
Manipulation Program (GIMP) at the top. I have used Adobe Photoshop for
years and approached GIMP with a bias. The JDS version of GIMP provides
a rich experience for Photoshop users. I found myself more productive
with GIMP than Photoshop. I also saved money because all the kinds of
plugins I usually add to Photoshop came with GIMP.

One complaint people expressed about JDS involved the lack of a DVD
player. This problem faces every Linux user. However,in some countries
people use the Xine player which works well. Unfortunately, in the US
use of DVD in Linux is illegal. If you choose to adopt JDS, you'll find
Xine works well in JDS. Just use it where it's legal.

The Gnome Desktop

We refer to the presentation layer between a PC operating system and you
as a Graphic User Interface (GUI). Microsoft calls its GUI Windows while
Apple refers to theirs as Aqua. The Java Desktop System uses Gnome. Sun
engineered Gnome to optimize performance and produce pleasant visual
effects.

For Linux users who prefer the other Linux GUI called KDE, JDS doesn't
offer you that option. As a long time fan of KDE, I had to get used to
Gnome. Once I did, I found that I actually like JDS' version of Gnome.
Sun engineered their version to render smoothly and provide a pleasant
user experience.

Known Issues

You might ask if I think the Sun Java Desktop System is perfect. Of
course, no personal computer operating system qualifies as perfect. In
my opinion, JDS qualifies as a great desktop. I prefer it to any other I
have tested. I use it as my desktop operating system.

If you want look at the known issues with JDS (Release I) then visit
this link. Keep in mind that the new update fixes many of those
problems. You can purchase JDS for $50 before June 2, 2004 and wind up
with free updates for one year. After June 2nd, the system cost goes to
$100.

Some Final Comments

People in the Linux community have many choices of distributions whether
it's Debian, Red Hat, Fedora, SuSE, Mandrake,Gentoo or others. I like
the diversity and options available in free and Open Source Software. If
you have mastered any aspect of Linux and like the distribution you
have, stay with it. The Java Desktop System fits people who do not want
to compile a new kernel or have the latest version of whatever application.

If you want a pleasant user experience and like stability JDS fulfills
the promise of the "Professional" series of workstations
Microsoft has claimed to have. JDS also makes a great desktop for the
workplace. JDS also provides unparalleled value compared to Apple or
Microsoft products.

For the corporate user, I did not cover the server end of the Java
Desktop System. Sun has a bundle of products for you called the Java
Enterprise System at this link. Sun has already announced that these
back office products will run on Red Hat

Enterprise Linux.

Also consider looking at Sun's Java Desktop System Management Tools at
this link. You will find ample information on Sun's JDS Configuration
Manager and the Control Station. I plan to devote a series of articles
on these JDS products in the future.

For many of us, the time has come to look at alternatives to Microsoft.
Fortunately, we now have one that meets and often exceeds our
expectations. I hope this article has encouraged you to take a close
look at Sun's Java Desktop System.

About the author: Tom Adelstein works as a Linux consultant in Dallas,
Texas. He focuses on Open Source opportunity reviews to identify places
where organizations can use open source software. His current interest
lies with Linux in Government.