Killer apps/"selling" points of FC and GNU/Linux

[Michael Tiemann]

Tim's Doyen concept (and what quantian.org have done) are quite cool. 
In my travels to australia I just discovered a National Data Network
project that is going to make a raft of data available via and to all
sorts of OSS software.  See
http://blogs.redhat.com/executive/archives/000171.html

M

On Wed, 2004-11-17 at 12:38, Tim Daly wrote:
> Sean,
> 
> I believe that an open science platform is the kind of killer app
> you're looking for which will, gradually, convince a fair sized
> group of people to use linux.
> 
> First, since is an open enterprise by philosophy (if not in fact).
> 
> Second, there are a large number of freely available scientific apps
> 
> Third, a LiveCD kind of platform can introduce a science platform to
> students and professors at minimal impact and cost (Quantian is an
> example).
> 
> Fourth, introducing students to these science apps creates a growing
> pool of people who learn and learn to need linux to support their skills.
> 
> It will take time but there has already been some discussion of the
> concept with RedHat. It would be of interest to them because it opens
> up the educational market at minimal cost. It also opens up the science
> conference market at the same minimal cost (distribution of LiveCDs).
> 
> It is also of interest to developers of these packages because they
> have the "leverage" of being included in these distributions and a
> common method of sharing code and research work.
> 
> Such systems we've termed "Doyen systems" (a doyen is the senior or
> most experienced person in a group). An effort is underway to build
> such a science platform using a LiveCD for distribution and a Wiki
> for the host portion of the system.
> 
> This won't attract everyone but it has the key aspect of attracting
> students, similar to the advantage Unix had in its early life.
> 
> Tim Daly