| Open Source on the business desktop (Part 2) |
(continuation)
Part 2: The Story
Background
Server-side, TrustCommerce relies exclusively on open source. It wasn't always that way; there was a time were a small percentage of our server tasks were done with proprietary software. When I signed on with the company, they were in the process of shifting from Informix (which was not scaling to match the company's rapidly growing database size) to PostgreSQL (which we still use today, and has scaled marvelously). In fact, one of my first tasks with the company was to write a replacement for a piece of proprietary software that ran only on NT. With my work in place and tested as stable on our other (Linux) servers, we removed our last two NT servers from colocation and happily wiped the drives.
This part isn't too terribly revolutionary. Although the company was still young at the time, it was owned and managed by industry veterans who knew well that the value proposition of free software, server-side, is unmatched. Open source on the desktop, however, is a much less explored territory.
Engineers (including myself) were allowed to use whatever we chose on our workstations. Most used some version of Mandrake or Red Hat. Everyone else used some version or other of Windows. Most engineers didn't have to deal much with the outside world other than email. My job was a little different; it includes quite a bit of "interfacing" between the various non-tech departments (sales, marketing, customer service, etc) and in fact I was often dealing with customers or our business' partners directly. This put me face-to-face with the reality of American business: everything is in .doc, .xls, and .ppt format. Earlier in my career, I had never paid much attention to office applications on Linux. But with the responsibilities of my new job, the matter was suddenly quite relevant to me.
I experimented with the options and eventually settled on Star Office for reading and writing .doc files (which it does quite well), and Gnumeric for reading .xls files (only because it's quick to invoke from the command line, unlike Star Office). .ppt files were rare enough that I could ignore them or else ask a non-engineer coworker to show it to me on their computer.
The Idea
With the release of KDE 2, I became very excited for Linux's prospect on the desktop. I idly discussed the possibility of switching some of our non-IT staff to an open desktop with our network administrator. He liked the idea (it would be less work for him, after all) but was very hesitant to propose it to the management. I kept the idea in the back of my head.
As it happens, MandrakeSoft had just recently signed on with us for their payment processing. We had the oportunity to meet a few of their people over lunch. And, they brought us a very nice gift: a boxed copy of Mandrake 8.0 Deluxe.
I gave it a try on my home computer first, and found that it was everything I had been hoping. KDE 2, user-friendly, GUI-based configuration tools, and apps galore. But I was a grizzled veteran of UNIX and Linux; I didn't feel that I was completely fit to judge whether it was truly "easy to use." Moreover, I'm very aware of my relative zealotry for Linux and all things open source, and I wanted to be sure that I wasn't pursue the idea purely on an emotional basis. Business is business, and I am only interested in bringing pragmatic ideas to the table. I decided there was only one way to determine if open source was an option on non-IT desktops: a test.
Guinea Pig
I pitched my idea to the management, and they were receptive to the possibility. It probably helped that my previous open source-releated pitch, releasing our TCLink API under the LGPL, had been a resounding success for the company. However, they were quite firmly against switching anyone who was already set up and productive with MS Windows and Office. We had just hired a new receptionist, however, who was due to start the next week. I proposed we start him on a Mandrake desktop. Since his main job was answering the phones, his computer needs were light (mostly email and the web), so management didn't consider it much of a gamble. They nervously gave me the go-ahead.
The network admin and I set up the computer. I went in and made a few key changes to the default configuration: setting StarOffice as the default handler for .doc and .xls files, and AcroRead for .pdf. I also went ahead and configured KMail for the new hire's email account. These few tasks complete, we left the system on and logged in, ready for him to use in the morning.
The next day I was kept busy in a meeting all morning, so I didn't get an immediate chance to check in on the receptionist. I fretted that perhaps he was struggling with his computer. At lunchtime I finally managed to get away long enough to go visit him. I walked in to see him mousing along -- he had already changed his wallpaper and was in the process of sending some email.
"So," I said, trying to sound casual, "How's that computer working for you?" The anticipation was killing me, but I tried to keep my face calm.
"Great," he said. "I'm not sure what this is, but it sure is easy to use."
"VICTORY!" I thought to myself! Continuing to keep my face emotionless, I said, "Oh, that's good." He obviously had no idea what had just transpired: evidence (anecdotal, certainly) that Linux is perfectly user-friendly when the system is pre-installed. Still attempting to give him no hints that he was our guinea pig, I careful inquired as to his computing background. He told me that he learned on the Macintosh, but in the last year or two his employers had always given him Windows, which had consistently found difficult to use. "I guess that's why I like this," he said. "It seems a lot more like the Mac."
Deployment
As another piece of luck, the receptionist turned out to be a quick learner and was promoted to an assistant sales position only six weeks later. The sales manager told me that Linux on the desktop had been fine so far, but now that he was doing sales he would be reading and writing .doc and .xls files all day long, and so it was time to switch him to Windows. By this time, though, the network admin was quite happy that he had one less Windows machine to babysit, and the soon soon-to-be ex-receptionist didn't want to switch. The sysadmin stalled, the (now) sales assistant began performing his new duties with his open source desktop. A week later the sales manager realized that he had been performing said duties without any apparent file format problems, so the manager gave in and accepted the arrangement.
TrustCommerce was just beginning to enter a period of rapid expansion; we were hiring more aggressively than we ever had before. A new receptionist was hired to replace the previous one, and also received Linux on his computer. No problems there (especially once we had upgraded to the more stable Mandrake 8.1), and somehow our default policy had suddenly changed -- instead of Windows, new hires got Linux. This turned out to be the key to the success of this project. We didn't switch people, for the most part; we hired them and got them used to using open source tools from day one.
The final nail in the coffin, so to speak, was the downturn of the economy in September. Facing the costs of supporting a greatly expanded employee count in a time of economic recession, our CFO was looking for ways to cut costs without reducing capabilities. A dozen new employees times twelve copies of Windows 2000 Professional & Office 2000 equals about $6000. Although this is not a huge sum in the day-to-day operations of a small-to-mid-sized company, it's not a negligable amount, and the CFO was quite happy with these savings.
Issues
Does everyone love Linux on the desktop? No. The CFO is happy, certainly. The sysadmin is enjoying his much lower-stress job, and in fact has grown downright surly about regarding maintinence of our diminishing number of Windows desktops. Some of the workers are happy; others, especially those with an extensive background with Microsoft tools, aren't entire thrilled.
For example, a senior salesperson was recent hired. He is very experienced with Outlook and MS Office, and complained (quite rightly) that he was less productive when first hired due to the unfamiliar tools. He cursed and swore that Konqueror wouldn't load maximized; I showed him the "Save View Profile" option, much to his relief. He complains that Star Office is bloated and ugly (again, rightly so) -- he prefers to use KOffice for documents and spreadsheets and don't ever need to be converted from or two Microsoft formats. He cried that he was too disorganized because KMail doesn't offer a calendar -- I suggested he click on the little picture of a calendar on his taskbar, and he bellowed with joy. Although he still prefers Microsoft tools, his ability to produce complex, attractive documents with StarOffice already far surpassed my own. He is able to do all of the day-to-day business of his very demanding position with 100% open source software. Regardless of personal preference, I feel that this is irrefutable proof that Linux on the business desktop is a reality.
An Open Office
Perhaps most interesting about the transition to open source on our worker's desktops has been the shift in perception that has accompanied it. Open formats are now preferred; plain text, HTML, and PDF are the only formats we send to customers and business partners. This isn't policy; it's just what our employees prefer, now that they are aware of a world beyond Microsoft. I asked the sales manager -- the same one who balked at the promoted receptionist not using MS Office -- why he exclusively sends PDFs now. "It looks more professional," he told me, quite sincerely.
I couldn't agree more.
--- Continued ---
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