FNB deploys Novell SuSe Linux

[AirWolf]

FNB deploys Novell SuSe Linux

Van Wamelen added that the decision to go with Linux for FNB’s branch network was groundbreaking within the South African financial services industry, as it aligns with the bank’s strategy of using open source based product offerings where it makes business sense.

So will there be a reduction in bank charges now that they are no longer using a commercial OS?

 

[Moederloos]

o boy - here we go again with a new "improved" banking site as well.
Going to be a hoot using internet banking that only works well in IE - that is served off a linux server.

 

[AirWolf]

o boy - here we go again with a new "improved" banking site as well.
Going to be a hoot using internet banking that only works well in IE - that is served off a linux server.

The internet banking works well in IE and FF but Opera is still left out in the cold

The new site is supposed to be faster but the pop-up window for downloading payment advices (business banking) still takes helluva long to come up.

 

[krycor]

reduction and bank charges don't quite go together

 

[gregmcc]

Cost of the OS is very small compared to the TCO - and with millions of MCSE's and a small handful of Suse engineers around, maybe the bankcharges will now increase

I don't have any probs with the new site - works great in FF and seems pretty snappy.

 

[rorz0r]

The internet banking works well in IE and FF but Opera is still left out in the cold

Actually, if you enable "mask as IE" internet banking works perfectly in Opera. On the site right click and go to site preferences,then in the network tab switch to "mask as IE". Probably have to reload the first time.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Uncle Bill Gates's prolly busy trying to organize a Winders takeover...

but once SuSE is deployed, they'll find that they don't have problems with viruses anymore. Which is a big plus.

Plus, people can't load and install some winders game just because they want to...

 

[GavinMannion]

Plus, people can't load and install some winders game just because they want to...

In other words

Once it is installed they will realise nothing works on it except completely overpriced proprietry software that needs nuclear scientists to support at a great expense..

Sorry I have heard this story about Linux saving us for 13 years now... I am still yet to see a decent, stable and user friendly linux option..

Before answering with some weird techno garbage remember that this software needs to be compatible with a 50 year old trying to install it.

 

[fskmh]

There must be a flash version of solitaire on the Internot somewhere .

 

[AirWolf]

Actually, if you enable "mask as IE" internet banking works perfectly in Opera. On the site right click and go to site preferences,then in the network tab switch to "mask as IE". Probably have to reload the first time.

Thanks works great I somehow always forget about the "identify as" and "mask as" options in Opera

 

[AirWolf]

In other words

Once it is installed they will realise nothing works on it except completely overpriced proprietry software that needs nuclear scientists to support at a great expense..

Sorry I have heard this story about Linux saving us for 13 years now... I am still yet to see a decent, stable and user friendly linux option..

Before answering with some weird techno garbage remember that this software needs to be compatible with a 50 year old trying to install it.

Which programs do you use in Windows?

 

[kifoth]

FNB online banking users, try this...

Log in. Go to the contact us page (top right).

Type something into the form at the bottom, but put a line break in there (ie. hit enter at some point). Submit. Observe

This has been broken like that for months. I was ignored by their techies and eventually complained about it on HelloPeter http://www.hellopeter.com/the_comment.asp?recid=88392. The response I got was "wait for the upgrade in August". It's still there after that upgrade, which leads me to believe that the so called "faster" web site is just a cosmetic CSS change. The back end is still unchanged (You also used to be able to log in as the same user with multiple sessions on different machines. I haven't tried that since the upgrade. Anyone up for it?).

They're now getting the same tech department to upgrade their branch network to a system that only those techies can fix?! FNB are toast!

 

[AirWolf]

@krycor, that's a bit of an oxymoron

 

[redarrow]

Well it does seem to me that FNB have done some improvements on their website...
I posted this image a couple of months back... I used to get that garbage every time I tried to log in...

However for the last couple of weeks or so, it's no longer been doing that... - so someone must have fixed something..

 

[GavinMannion]

Which programs do you use in Windows?

Visual Studio
SQL
Sony Erricson phone suite
iBurst
Office

Plus a million others that I need for one off jobs

 

[Abe]

Visual Studio

VS Pro +- R6600 inc VAT

SQL

Developer Edition R380 inc VAT
Standard Edition with 5 CALs R15500 inc VAT

Office

Office 2007 Pro R4100 inc VAT

+

Vista Business +- R2700 inc VAT

Thats R13780 worth of software only on your machine (Thats if you paid for it). You could probably get it for about R7K if you buy DSP with a new machine. All of this is forgetting about SQL deployment.

The equvilent on Linux would be:

Mono Develop (Yeah, I know it's not on VS level), FPC with Lazarus, Eclipse, KDE Develop or a number of others.
Firebird Database
OpenOffice
Linux

None of which would have cost you a cent. How can you rattle on about proprietry stuff? There are a number of Databases, Mail Servers, Web Servers that are supported by IBM amongst others. These are a lot less (and often totally open source) proprietry then MS stuff.

In a bank like FNB, the likely solution is that they will close down the workstations and install OO and maybe a mainframe session. There is absolutely no reason for these types of users to have Windows on their machines. It is a security hole waiting to happen.

Obviously Linux does not suit every company but there are some organisations where it makes a lot of sense.

Oh, and just for the record, recent studies have indicated that people who are new to computers actually found Linux easier to use then Windows.

 

[kilos]

Cost of the OS is very small compared to the TCO - and with millions of MCSE's and a small handful of Suse engineers around, maybe the bankcharges will now increase

Imagine the internal training bill to get all engineers trained with Novell CLP 10

The cost for Novell SLED Desktop is quite cheap compared to MS Office & XP about $50

 

[Dastrix]

The article doesn't go into enough depth to fully understand what is being replaced by Linux.

For a banking front office (e.g. Tellers) there is no reason to deploy expensive Windows and office packages. However back office is another story, I don't believe Linux is a good solution for people who will be used to working on Office/Windows (especially with custom applications that would have been written for the platform).

 

[kilos]

Windows will always have a place and bank tellers work stations OS/2
will be replaced with the Novell SuSE offering. Managers
and staff with specific windows tools will retain their MS.

Its like Larry Ellison CEO of Oracle wanting his sales force to use
Linux on their laptops and they are still using windows.
Servers are another story where he runs most of his business
on Linux servers, email servers, oracle.com website running on
16 x dual cpu Intel boxes. serving over 1 million visitors a day.