We are not Microsoft bashers. They have done some great things and have made tons of money. The reason we are going to move toward Linux is that we don't want to have our success or failure tied to just one company. If Microsoft were to change Windows so that our software would not work, we need to have other options available. That is only good business. As long as we can works with Windows, we will continue to buy and use their operating systems along with the others we use.

Linux is an interesting operating system. It combines the data processing power of the mainframe and the user friendly interface of the personal computer. It will run many text terminals (ie for point of sale) and at the same time allow e_mail, internet access, and word processing on the main unit.

This system was developed by people who are very dedicated to the task. The development was done my many talented programmers working together usually on-line . There are still a lot of things that should be done to the system, but look at Microsoft. They are still putting out new releases of everything. So are we at Computer Golf. If you are in the software business, new releases and updates are a fact of life.

IBM is investing a lot of money in Linux. When we heard this we got a copy of Linux and boy were we surprised. I come from the world of main frames and business computing. Linux is a very strong operating system.

Another neat thing about changing to the Linux platform is I will not have to respond to the people who say oh, its a DOS based system as though it was some kind of poison. Dos, especially IBM DOS which is what we use with Linux, is a great operating system.Windows is really nothing more than a graphical interface to DOS.

So look for better systems down the road at much less cost. As IBM says, "No longer will operating systems have a strangle hold on software developers or users." Most golf pros and golf course operators are interested in results not operating systems. Using Linux is fun and what a kick to have all this power for so little money.

One thing about Linux is that it is different than running Windows and not all of the things you are familiar with in Windows are available in Linux. To use this system you would need to learn some new things and be a little "Brave and Bold" to try it. Our feeling is that if you want to try using our Linux version and it does not work out for you, we will switch you to our Windows version at no charge. We like Windows_98 for our software and will continue to offer that option in the future. On the other hand, if you have a Windows system and are not happy with it we will switch you to Linux free of charge. We are not in the operating system business. We just need a good operating system for our systems to be at their best. We don't mind paying Microsoft or Linux distributors for their products.

Dave Mathews CGMS

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