[WEB4LIB] Little of GNU/Linux in Libraries (was: The beginning of the end for the

[Daniel Messer]

Chris LeBlanc <leblanc at ALMARK.lamar.edu> said:

> Mr. Goerwitz pointed out that most libraries have not adopted Open
> Source software (and in particular the GNU/Linux system) and was
> a bit scathing of them for this, even if he did not wish to sound
> that way.
<SNIP!>

Sorry if this is a little late. I've been out of the office for a few days!

Anyhow, we use BOTH WinNT and Linux here at YVRLS. The Linux release is Debian and our IT head is a master of it. I have got to agree all the way with Mr. Goerwitz if he was scathing towards libraries for not adopting open source technology. From our standpoint, Linux gives us far fewer problems than any of our NT machines. Whenever we upgrade something on a Linux server, it usually goes fairly well with the normal tweaking and adjusting one comes to expect from Linux upgrades. But the point is this, at least we know where to look for tweaks and adjustments with Linux. Windows, in common MS style, tends to hide these features from the common user and sometimes even the Netadmin.

> The simple truth is, until we get alternatives to Windows client
> programs, we are stuck with Windows.  I use GNU/Linux myself
> (Slackware 7.0 with additions), but I can not go to my boss and
> say that we should change the machines in our lab, and loose 
> half of the functionality on them.  

Absolutly. I consider myself to be a knowledgeable computer user. I am very familiar with Windows products, have a good understanding of Linux, and I've worked with several other operating systems and programming environments. Of all of them, Linux impresses me most with its stability, but least with its user interface and Windows impresses me most with its user interface and the least with its stability. The only thing that is keeping Linux down is the user interface. People are scared of Linux because it's a high intensity command line driven system that gives you total control over your computer. Folks don't want to learn complicated commands nor do they want complete control over their computer. If you don't believe me on the last point, do a simple survey. Ask a few people if they would want the power to delete their entire system with one command. After the joking is done, most will say "No." If things like Gnome, or my personal favourite, the KDE would take off and get marketed in the right way, Linux could give MS a real run for the money, especially since nifty things like Linux and KDE are all free :)

> As for Librarians being apathetic or reactionary to IT, it comes
> more from unfamiliarity then from fear or loathing.  IT
> rarely tries to help librarians understand, and most of the
> time is because of a lack of time/resources, than of un-
> willingness.

We have had some similar problems ourselves. Our IT head is wonderful and almost everybody likes him. However, sometimes his problem is downright honesty. How can that be a problem? Well, you see, he doesn't like to lie or tell half truths to anyone, even unexperienced computer users. For example, our automation system server crashes. Someone asks him why it crashed. Now anyone else would be happy with an explanation like "Well one of the programmes hiccuped which caused Windows to vomit and the entire thing shut down." But in his mind, that's not what happened. What happened was that the SQL 7.0 database caused a GPF in our main automation system modual thus necessitating the need for a hard boot. :) Most of the time that's met with blank stares and drool out of a corner of a mouth. (Okay, well maybe not the drool.) In my experience librarians are very interested in what IT is doing if for no other reason than what IT is doing directly effects what librarians are going to do. But since most librarians aren't computer scientists and even fewer are telecommunications and networking techs they just simply do not understand why IT does some of the things that it does.

Dan

-- 
Mondai wa
The subject in question...
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Daniel Messer
Technologies Instructor
Yakima Valley Regional Library
dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
509-452-8541 ext 712
102 N 3rd St  Yakima, WA  98901
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
                                         -Hunter S. Thompson