Ubuntu – making Linux a reality for small business, but who cares?

Like many small business owners, I just want computer hardware, operating systems and software to work and work well.  Form is important, but give me function and reliability first.

Despite much promise and apparent improvements over recent months, Vista simply hasn’t done it for me.  It’s not done much for my top end laptop either which crawls to the starting line rather than racing to victory over everyday tasks.

I very nearly used my frustration to succumb to the MacBook Air I’ve long lusted after.  But enter Linux. Or more precisely Ubuntu, a version or ‘distro’ of Linux that’s been getting a lot of attention in the open source world.

Installation

Installing Ubuntu was a leap of faith.  When I put the installation disk into my ThinkPad T61p’s drive, my expectations were low.  I girded my loins for driver incompatibility hell, network problems and cack-handed attempts on my part to get to grips with command lines that I’d not seen on a computer for over 15 years.

Guess what? Wifi connections, printers, networks, applications all identified and installed smoothly. The Nvidia graphics card needed a trivial update and fonts needed tweaking, but for a basic setup that was about it. The Hardy Heron version of Ubuntu even looks cool. I think brown could be the new blue.

Inspiration
The operating system comes pre-installed with a complete set of office applications (OpenOffice) which make the expensive Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel redundant for most small businesses.  It also includes graphics packages, email, IM and lots of other good stuff.

What’s more it’s all free. It runs fast. It’s secure and isn’t subject to the volume of hacks and viruses inflicted on Windows. It’s all built by an amazing community. It’s a great option for SMEs and it’s a great option for huge swathes of developing nations.  As you can probably tell, conceptually and simply from the experience of using it day-to-day, I’ve really enjoyed it.

Now before my kumbaya-like joy forces you to run from the room screaming ‘kill all hippies’, let’s get to the buts.  Like the ones in pub ashtrays of old, there are plenty.

Bish, Bosh, Bash
If something does go wrong, you are rapidly propelled to command prompts, bash scripts and sudo.  Exactly.

Ubuntu As Religion
There’s plenty of online support, but it’s poorly structured and occasionally makes you feel like you’ve entered the realms of an arcane cult.

Multimediaaaarrgghhh
If you need any kind of sophisticated video or audio applications, then things can get enormously complicated, enormously quickly, despite the multimedia flavour of Ubuntu known as Medibuntu. Many web cams, for example, are certainly not ‘plug and play’.

On No Account
Serious accounting/financial apps on Linux are non-existent. Accounts departments will need to run Windows or something like Virtual Box to get the job done.

Cheap, cheap
Buying Linux computers is not necessarily cheaper than buying Windows machines. New Windows machines are cross subsidised by software vendors and are often cheaper than computers with Linux pre-installed. Linux could save you on multiple software licenses though.

No Rest
I’ve installed Ubuntu on three laptops.  All have issues with hibernation, which is a pain.  And I’m not at all sure they’re handling power management effectively either.

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Of course, in a business context any computer and software combination is going to need support.  That’s what Canonical, the moving force behind Ubuntu, provides. And as Gerry Carr, marketing manager at Canonical suggests:

Many businesses do not move completely – they slowly introduce Linux into more and more parts of their business as appropriate to their needs and where they are in the licensing cycle.

This seems like a sensible strategy. The windows installer Wubi, is one way of trying out Ubuntu and helping people appreciate the benefits.  Because Hardy Heron looks good you may find people warming to the interface quickly.

Nevertheless, Nic Butler, the well known UK social media man and long time open source software and Ubuntu evangelist, believes familiarity with Windows doesn’t breed contempt so much as laziness when it comes to adapting to new computer experiences.

He also believes that Ubuntu may already have missed its break through opportunity on the desktop. Does Canonical’s increased focus on server and mobile versions of Ubuntu suggest they feel the same, he ponders.

Who Cares?
While I agree with Nic, I think Ubuntu now contains so many familiar features that user laziness is not such a big issue.

My wife also runs her own business.  She’s no geek.  She doesn’t care about technology, she just wants to get things done.  Her XP laptop was grinding to a halt.  She loves Ubuntu because her machine’s now working faster and does all the things she needs it to: word processing, spreadsheets, web and email.  As a simple, fast, reliable operating system for a small business computer, Ubuntu cuts the mustard.

But as more and more basic business software for email, project management, VoIP and, yes, even accounting moves away from the desktop to remote services (the cloud), who’s going to care about operating systems in the future?

In some ways the Asus Eee PCs with their stripped down Linux systems are the first computers to recognise this.  And perhaps this is where Ubuntu should focus. My Ubuntu laptop is already a no fuss, low fat Linux gateway to the clouds and that’s where business is increasingly getting done.

Alex is the founder and editor of SmallBizPod, the UK's first podcast dedicated to small business, start-ups and entrepreneurship. Alex writes about topical small business issues, entrepreneurs and anything else that catches his eye here on the small business blog. http://www.smallbizpod.co.uk