The rise and fall of linux

Bruce Simpson of Aardvark.co.nz asks the hard questions about uptake of Linux in New Zealand. He asks "Where can people go to get plain-English help and support for Linux?" The answer is not too far away, with Linux User Groups in every major New Zealand City, each with mailing lists full of people willing and able to provide immediate and free help. On the professional front there are companies like IBM, HP and Novell who are selling professional services around Linux. There is also an increasing number of small Linux service companies, although not too many in the small business arena as there isn't yet the same demand as Windows. However, there are quite a number of software companies that are leveraging open source and Linux specifically to deliver their applications, but they often do not make a big deal about it in public.