Re: Request Advice for Work Meeting on Why use GNU+Linux

[Jim Garrett]

   Some quick thoughts:
   - Automatic updating, high security for a well-regarded distro with
   little need for IT involvement after deployment.
   - Unix is the Lingua Franca for informatics (if not biostatistics).
   Virtually unlimited tool set. Often this Unix system is a Mac, but why
   not get Unix directly?
   I'm a statistician also; if you ever want to correspond, drop me a
   line! At work I have a Windows client but I use that to access a
   cluster running Red Hat for all my actual statistical work.
   Jim Garrett

   On January 13, 2020 10:49:17 PM EST, lily via libreplanet-discuss
   <libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> wrote:

Hello All!
I have a last minute question on how to prepare for a meeting tomorrow
Tuesday 2pm Pacific Standard time. PLEASE RESPOND SOON!
I work as a biostatistician for a hospital and when I started working
there I requested a computer with a GNU+Linux OS. My request was
promptly denied, because IT said they simply do not support Unix.
But TOMORROW, there will be a meeting with the following objective:
Discuss request for Providing a GNU+Linux operating system for a
caregiver that will be using statistical software.
The Principle IT engineer wrote this email in anticipation of the
meeting:
Greetings, I have passed information about this meeting to the manager
of the Unix Server Operations team in case he wants to get anyone
involved. I am also very concerned about the management and security
of such a one off device. Given the network nature of Unix/Linux is
there any reason that a Linux client server couldn't be provided
instead with an X Windows Server provided on the Windows laptop to
connect and utilize software that is installed (and hopefully managed)
on the server?  While this is overkill for a single user I suspect
that there are a lot more users in the various informatics departments
that might welcome such a service. I hope this helps stir up some
ideas.
Principle IT Engineer
My background is in mathematics/statistics, but I am a supporter of
Free Software because of all the good reasons why Free Software is
what it is. I do not have any technical background with regard to
servers, server client, network, etc and so I feel I will struggle
with explaining why I made this request, why I think this is a good OS
for serving our patients, and why it would be good for the long run to
support GNU+Linux OS computers.
My question for the Libre community is: How do I present my case for
tomorrow to explain why it is beneficial for IT at this hospital to have support
caregivers that wish to work on a computer with a GNU+Linux OS?
Please help!
Thank you!
Crista

   --
   Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.