As always it starts with a question and this time the question was – can I run Logmein on a linux system? In this case the answer was no and I pointed the client in the direction of Teamviewer instead.
At the moment software manufacturers are writing their software for certain operating systems only (for example LogMein doesn’t work on Linux) but with more and more users now turning to the internet to get their work done, for example using Google Docs or Office 365, or using apps does it actually matter what the underlying system is?
Lets take the consumer (ie home) market first. Here the PC is on its last legs and tablets and smartphones are on the rise. Where previously you had to have a copy of Windows to be productive this is no longer the case (Office 365 for iphone anyone?). You can now get apps on your tablet that allow you do accomplish almost anything. For example on my Blackberry Playbook I purchased an app called Smart Office 2 which allows me to produce and edit .doc or .xls files from my tablet. The same can be found on Android and iOS too. Failing that you can use Office 365 or Google Docs straight through your browser and use online storage to back up your files. There are numerous apps for remote desktop software, photo editing etc. In fact you can get apps for almost everything. In this environment it doesn’t matter what operating your system is running.
Now let us turn our attention to the business environment where it is not so clear cut. At the moment you are either a Linux business, an Apple business or a Windows one. Yes you can have a mixture of all three but on the whole a business will use one operating system across all their computers. Here businesses tend to stick with software that runs on their platforms, which makes it easier to support, however iPads and iPhones (and Android to a lesser extent) are slowly beginning to encroach on the traditional PC’s (PC’s will still be around for a long time yet). With the advent of BYOD (Bring your Own Device) this will only increase and the only realistic way for businesses to support all these different devices is to put all the data in the cloud. If you are accessing data online (again taking Google Apps as an example) it doesn’t matter what system you have so long as it can access the internet. The ‘mobile takeover’ hasn’t happened yet but it is slowly making ground.
So what do you think does it matter what operating system you use to get things done? Let me know!!
About the Author
Hi I am Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire.
For a list of what I can offer you why not visit my website www.comtech247.net where you will find a list of my services, testimonials, blog and much more!!
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