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

[Tim Daly]

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