Linux users frustrated at lack of support

UK Linux users yesterday complained that they are still not getting enough vendor support, particularly when they first embrace the open source operating system, even though vendors are becoming more commercially minded.

During a debate today at the Linux Expo 2000 show in London there were widespread complaints among Linux users, primarily from academic institutions, that support for Linux installations was lacking. There was also a call for vendors to be more proactive in selling to universities.

Tim Chown, systems manager at Southampton University, said: "Linux has historically had a self-help reputation, but people are now looking to get commercial support."

Simon Moores, head of The Research Group, who chaired the discussion, said: "There is a thirst for education about Linux but some frustration at how hard it is to get support."

He added that the difficulty in finding someone who could build Linux systems might lead to a heavier reliance on Linux user groups. "Self-help, or finding information on the internet, is quite a plausible way to build a Linux system," he said.

Predictably, among the large crowd of Linux enthusiasts and developers gathered at the show, which was at least double the number who attended the inaugural show last year, the reliability of Windows as an operating system continued to draw sharp criticism.

John Terpstra, vice president of community relations at Turbo Linux, claimed that Windows NT made mistakes in executing instructions at least 20 per cent of the time.

"Our research has showed that a proprietary closed source system can't hold water and is fundamentally flawed," he said.

The two-day show ends tomorrow. vnunet.com spoke exclusively with Red Hat chief executive Matt Szulik at the event and will be publishing the interview next week.