Atari’s CIO looks at Linux as historic cost-saving opportunity.
Three decades ago, Atari was the pioneer in video-game systems. A lot has changed since then–Pong isn’t quite the draw it was in 1975–but Atari Inc. hasn’t given up on progressive thinking. The company, now a division of French video-game maker Infogrames Entertainment SA, has over the past year set its sights on using Linux. It’s using the open-source operating system to cut costs on both Web-hosting and enterprise applications.
Using Linux is hardly the stuff of technology trailblazing these days, but the significance of open source’s impact on enterprise IT operations can’t be underestimated, Atari CIO Glenn Magala says. “I’ve never seen this kind of opportunity for improving IT operations and achieving cost savings through a change in platform, not even when the [IBM] AS/400 came out,” Magala says.
Does Linux Have Game?
Thursday, December 30th, 2004Earlier this year, our Linux Comes to the Desktop article caused a stir, when we stated that gaming on a Linux platform remained a limited proposition. Now it is time to detail why this is the case. We will explore what is the best you can hope for when you opt for the penguin to play Unreal and Doom III. We will also look at why Linux lovers must be contented with the state of things — for the time being, that is, because things are looking up for the Linux gaming crowd.
So why is wide-scale gaming support for Linux not 100% there? A better question may be: why would game developers spend the money to add Linux functionality to games for a limited number of users? The answer is not that simple, especially since Linux desktop use continues to grow.
There are many reasons why you might want to shift from Windows to a Linux OS. We won’t cover what those reasons might be in detail here, but will note that users routinely complain of Windows instability, high prices and many layers of software that impede performance. For others, there are ethical considerations for avoiding Windows, such as decisions by courts of law in the U.S. and Europe holding that Microsoft has illegally wielded its monopolistic influence in the marketplace. On the other hand, there are magazines out there, backed by now-a-word-from-our-sponsor Microsoft ads, that claim Windows XP deserves your money.
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