Linux-Kongreß´97


Using Linux in your business: a business justification

Jon "maddog" Hall
Linux International

Abstract

Your manager just does not believe that Linux will help to run his business. You know it will, but he has all of these stupid reasons why you should not use it. This talk give the "How and why" to justify to your management the use of Linux as an operating system. Pitfalls to avoid in the discussion and arguments to use.

My biography

Jon "maddog" Hall is a Senior Leader in Digital's UNIX Software Group. Jon has been in the UNIX group for fourteen years as an engineer, Product Manager and Marketing Manager. Prior to Digital, Jon was a Senior Systems Administrator in Bell Laboratories' UNIX group, so he has been programming and using UNIX for over 18 years.

In addition to Jon's work with Digital UNIX, Jon is also Executive Director of Linux International, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the use of Linux, a freely distributable re-implementation of the UNIX operating system. Digital is the first system vendor to join Linux International, and is a Corporate Sponsoring Member. Jon is directly responsible for the port of Linux to the Alpha processor.

Jon started his career programming on large IBM mainframes in Basic Assembly Language, but his career improved dramatically when he was introduced to Digital's PDP-11 line of computers as chairman of the Computer Science Department at Hartford State Technical College. There he spent four glorious years teaching students the value of designing good algorithms, writing good code, and living an honorable life. He has also been known to enjoy discussing aspects of computer science over pizza and beer with similar students.

maddog (as his students named him, and as he likes to be called) has his MS in Computer Science from RPI, his BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University, and in his spare time is writing the business plan for his retirement business: Maddog's School of Microcomputing and Microbrewing.