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Using Gnu+Linux at work
(lemmy.world)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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If you aren't letting people install packages and customize the environment, you don't need Linux for desktops. Give them a locked down Mac, instead. You can do it on Linux, but it defeats the purpose. You're devs would hate it.
You're thinking as if it was Windows. In enterprise environments, companies control a set of proxy repositories and whitelist/blacklist packages.
If you're a dev and need a specific package (or set of packages) that aren't listed, then you can request it through a ticket.
What do companies gain from a full Linux environment?
(A big issue of Windows is that for running secure you need to cut a lot of it, which generates shadow IT).
However if not done right, there's a long list of head-aches, including some software that's no longer compatible and has no real professional linux option (design suites, SCADA/ICS, CAD software, etc).
Even if there's a similar tool, it's highly possible that there are trade-offs that will require a lot of investment.
In most cases this gets solved in two ways:
In our case we need Linux because the software we use only run there or is better integrated. Infact we use WSL for the core activities, bit WSL is crap.