Re: Evaluating Linux: Reality vs Hype

[Adam Tauno Williams <adam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Was checking out Tech Republic today and come across this link:
>http://www.techrepublic.com/article.jhtml?id=r00220010418hin01.htm&page=1
>Comments?

Not real impressed with this guy, although he makes some good points.

Linux advantages (he sited)...

No licensing fees - obviously agree

Most server software is stable - agree

Requires minimal hardware requirements - I always find this one dubious.  If
your going to have a box serving a 100+ people, NT or Linux, you need a
reasonably powerful machine.  And if you hav 100+ people you should have the
money to plunk down for one.

Open source allows for greater security - Dubious again,  only if the user/admin
has the knowledge required to take advantage of the source.  Since 90% of the
"admins" I know are just PC jokeys with visions of granduer and maybe a few
worthless certifications, I don't think this helps the average institution at
all.

Linux disadvantages (he sited)...

Supporting it is expensive - Huh?  An NT guru is cheap?  Given the average
salary of an experienced IT person (according to the trade rags), and that NT is
the predominate OS, seems like he plucked this out of thin air.

Trouble shooting is difficult - Whoa!  He's crazy.  With strace, fuser, /proc,
and friends trouble shooting is *******EASY****** compared to ANYTHING on a tool
impaired Win32 platform.  

Configuration is complicated and troublesome - No. "/sbin/linuxconf"  will do
everything 99.999% of people need in a very nice GUI.  Then there is webmin, or
how about SWAT?  All work very nicely.  I can configure a working
SMTP/POP/IMAP/DNS/PROXY box without EVER using the command like,  no sweat. 
Doesn't mean the command line isn't, in fact, easier if you really know what
your doing.

Desktop software is buggy and unstable - Pure opinion.   I use Ximian Gnome,
netscape, star office, gtelnet, gkadmin, gimp, sylpheed, dia, unixODBC, and
gnumeric for hours . . . no crashes.

I love this statement: "While Linux servers are rock-solid stable, the Linux
desktop is notoriously buggy and unstable. Key Linux desktop applications such
as StarOffice, WordPerfect, and Netscape Navigator are prone to frequent
crashes. Some Linux distributions and versions have no trouble with these
applications, while others deliver pitiful performance or can't even get them to
run."

So is this the fault of Linux or the users choice of an amatuer distribution?

Systems and Network Administrator
Morrison Industries
1825 Monroe Ave NW.
Grand Rapids, MI. 49505