2.1  Why migrate

A migration to a different desktop client is triggered by an alternative being 

available to what is being used. A decision to migrate is based on the alternative 

having properties that compare favorably to the present situation. In this section 

we talk about the properties of the Linux desktop.

Looking at the Linux desktop, the properties that are most generally used to base 

decisions on are:

Desktop security

Total cost directly linked to the desktop client

Manageability of the Linux client solution

Client customization

OSS philosophy

Ease of use of the client

We look at each of these properties is detail.

2.1.1  Desktop security

Even though Linux has many security features or properties, we concentrate on 

the ones relevant to a Linux client. Since on a Linux client there is interactive 

user activity, the security issues we look at reflect that. We focus on the features 

most related to this interactive user activity and some others that are also 

relevant:

Browser security

Messaging client security

User fencing/security

Bugfix response time

Modularity of the operating system

Firewalling

Browser security

The browsers used with a Linux client are mostly open source software. Some of 

these browsers are also available for other operating systems. In a Linux client 

the browser is not part of the operating system it is a stand alone application 

hosted by the operating system. For Linux platforms there are a number of 

browsers to choose from. The most commonly used are:

Mozilla

Opera

Konqueror

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Linux Client Migration Cookbook   A Practical Planning and Implementation Guide for Migrating to Desktop Linux