[NTLUG:Discuss] Re: Strange Request, Maybe?

[Chris Cox]

Richard Geoffrion wrote:
> 
> ok.. MY .02..
> 
> M$ Wingnuts products ARE in fact much easier to use.  Here's a simple
> scenario.

I think there are some scenarios where that is true.... and others
where it is certainly NOT true.  For example, in the past 5 years
I have lost only 3 machines due to filesystem errors... they were
all running NTFS.  The drives appear to be fine.... but the point
is that there was no reason in my mind for these failures
to just randomly target machines running NT.... there's something
amiss in Redmond.

Granted, Linux really shines in cases where you need a platform
that is capable of doing many things.... and where you have
some technical know-how to make it jump through hoops.

For instance, I just got done configuring the VALinux server
box for ITEC.  It connects via a Ricochet
wireless modem to the internet using PPP.  It runs a dhcp server
for hosts to get onto the network via ethernet and masquerades them all
across through the internet gateway.   Some of you NT guys
probably could do this at little or no cost using some
"shareware-forced-into-freeware" elements.... but it's
a challenge even then.  And the stuff to do this didn't
come on your NT CD.  It's also running a DNS server on the
private net with a non routable domain called va-itec.com.
It is running SMB protocol to allow it to show up on
the Network Neighborhood for your windows clients (who didn't
have to purchase a Windows client license to hit this
server btw).  It runs NFS, an Apache web server with php...and
though I haven't turned it on yet... could also have MySQL
or PostgresSQL database support as well.

Can you do this on NT?  Kinda.  You'll trip on NFS for sure
given Windows login-centric (duh what is a server?) mentality.
But most of it is doable with time and a lot of searching
for software from here or there.  My guess is that at some
point you'll find that you had to pay something to someone
who probably knows next to nothing about writing software...
or you'll end up paying the big bucks to get it done right.
Regardless at the end of the week (if you're good) you probably
will have a similar configuration to what I put together in a night.

I have had nothing but headaches administering NT.  And while
2000 supposedly addresses a lot of the stability issues
that are all over the place in NT..... it probably is not
going to end my frustration of the OS that caN'T do what
I want when I want it or woN'T support the standards
to interoperate with anything but itself.

The guy/gal on the deskop.... probably doesn't care about
the administration headaches.... until the network
isn't available anymore....  I prefer administering a
network where I don't have to GUESS what went wrong.

I see your .02 and raise you .02....

So Linux does work for some and possibly not for others.
And ease on the desktop certainly does not translate
into ease on the server.

You know... hooking up the Windows98SE platform via
dhcp to the VALinux box that it has no facility for
picking up the DNS being advertised by the server?
Linux as a client picks it up just fine.
Oh well... another mystery... I'd turn on the debug
messages...ooops, I forgot, it's Windows.

Regards,
Chris