I've heard of XenApp but didn't realize it could do all that. I get the running the app on the XenApp server and then having a thin client visualize the output. I don't know how they do the local application serving so you can take Excel with you to a non-network environment unless they somehow deliver it to a local VM capable of running Windows apps.

All in all, this looks very promising. Thanks for the info.

I'll have to agree. I've found so much in the business world is tied to proprietary products many of which don't have a OSS equivalent. As much as we've tried to get rid of Windows products and move towards OSS, we still have to give employees a Windows laptop to handle many tasks.

I've also witnessed in many cases that good Linux systems administrators are hard to come by. Many of my customers were forced to eliminate Linux systems because it's far easier to find a certified Windows administrator who can manage your systems than to train someone on Linux.

I consider myself a Linux Guru. I've worked with Linux for over 12 years. I've administered Linux and Unix systems for almost 25 years. I love Linux for what I do. But it's still not a one stop shop. I still need Windows (or a Mac). Luckily, Linux systems can work well with Windows systems so it's easier to add Linux systems to a Windows base. It's much harder to go the other way.

You are exactly correct.

Microsoft isn't worried about Linux because Linux doesn't compete directly with Windows. Microsoft won over the US corporate world about a decade ago with a set of business and office tools that integrate the entire corporation together. Linux is getting there but they're about 2-4 years away from being where Microsoft was in 2000. You can't find many US corporations where you don't have a Windows computer on every desktop connected to Windows based email, directory and web servers.

This corporate culture that promotes everything Microsoft spreads to other non-Microsoft areas. Even though Linux and OSS has made progress in these areas of late, non-Microsoft companies must carry Microsoft computers for compatibility with the rest of the corporate world. Microsoft makes the standards and everyone else has to follow.

In addition, US corporations are like aircraft carriers. Once something is adopted, its unlikely it will change course anytime soon. Microsoft got there first and is now reaping the benefits. Most US corporations still use decades old technology because its too costly to switch. Any move to something like Linux would have to be phased in VERY slowly.

Linux may be approaching Microsoft in terms of functionality and ease of use but it has to convince large corporations that Linux is superior to Windows before there will be any effort to switch. As a result, Linux is still and probably always will be a niche market in the US.

In my experiences with corporations, projects that were Unix based have either switched to Linux or are in the process of switching. I've yet to see a Windows based project in my area switch to Linux. Since I support Linux based software, I've found that in many cases, being Linux only is a barrier to entry into some corporations because they've spent tons of money to develop a local support staff around Windows and are unwilling to retrain personnel to do Linux. On the other hand, a Linux based company must also support Windows so its less of a barrier for a Windows only company to sell its products to a Linux based company.

In Europe and especially emerging economies, where corporations and governments have yet to adopt the "everything Microsoft" mentality, Linux is making strong headway. I suspect in 10 years, we'll have a very similar split between the US and the rest of the world to what we see in many other technologies. Europe and Asia will be primarily Linux based and the US will still be Windows based.