Star Why Windows Isn't Hell Or Why Linux Isn't Bliss
Linked by Thom "Slakje" Holwerda on Fri 25th Jul 2003 19:42 UTC
Editorial To me, it's a miracle how every tiny article on OSNews.com, or any other tech-site, ends up in people shouting all sorts of nonsense at each other like "Linux is gonna bring back Elvis", "Windows shot president Kennedy", "Linux kept the cold war cold" or "Bill Gates wants to buy the moon and charge people for looking at it". Do these people really know what they are saying, or are they just going with the Open-Source flow? Update: Rebuttal article here.
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OSes as a Tool
by ky0 on Fri 25th Jul 2003 22:10 UTC

Do people understand that an Operating System is just a tool. There are a bunch of different operating systems from AIX to Solaris to Windows XP to 2003 Server to FreeBSD to Shades of Linux to QNX.

Each OS has its strengths and weaknesses. A good IT person will choose the right OS for the job. No one OS can do every single job but they are all strong for certain things.

Do you want to program? Create a router? Play 3D games? Host a game server? Web server? File/print server? VPN? Firewall? Groupware? Run Databases? 100% uptime? Real Time OS? Embedded?

A good IT person or programmer will choose the right platform for the job. The backend database is DB2 running on AIX therefore we could easily use Linux and apache to make a web based front. Or the DB could be MS SQL and it would be easier to use IIS 6 with ASP.NET

Do we want to just setup a straight firewall? OpenBSD is about as secure as you are going to get right out of the box.

The point is, choose the right OS for the job given the rest of the circumstances. In your dream word you would be able to redesign the entire network using straight Cisco running only Linux. But get real. Often you are put into situations where you must choose the right OS to perform the most cost effective solution that yields the best results.

A good CompSci person will be able to understand most of the OSes and choose the right tool for the right job.