“As someone who uses a Mac to do my daily work, I was pleasantly surprised by how far Windows has come when I sat down to compare the latest server OS software from Apple and Microsoft. My comparison focused on several common tasks, including adding users, managing services, and setting up Web and e-mail accounts and configurations. I used the latest server hardware from Apple, a very sexy-looking G5 Xserve rackmounted server, and compared it with an HP desktop running Microsoft’s Windows Server 2003.” Read the rest of the report here. Editor’s Note: On second examination, this isn’t a very good article, so don’t bother unless you’re bored.
Windows Server 2003 vs. Mac G5 Xserve
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
The author made no sense at all. When comparing two different things he did not take any objectivity into consideration. Given the two products are completely different, he failed to elaborate on anything in particular. His conclusion was pretty incoherant. Bad review, IMO
don’t even bother to read it!!! even I don’t like windoze OS, the author has no idea what she is talking about it.
How did this even get considered for posting?
Not trying to be too much of a Microsoft “fanboy” here but it seems a little unfair at least hardware-wise to compare the speed an HP Desktop of unknown specs with a rackmount G5.
Also shouldn’t something like setting up security on a server be handled by a more experienced IT person?
I guess after reading the title I was hoping for a little more depth. Other than the user interface (and somewhat spurious speed claims) why does the author feel the Mac is better? Some tests/examples?
OK, I’m officially puzzled by the title of the piece. Was the author comparing software (Windows Server 2003) with hardware (G5 Xserve), or did she mean MacOS X Server? Whichever, as an admitted Mac user, she did Apple no favors with this “review”, which was rambling, incoherent and just plain bad. She should have RTFM’s for both products before considering reviewing them.
As others have mentioned, this “article” was DOA. It was flimsy, incredibly limited, and just generally pointless.
He might as well have said, “I don’t know anything about server administration, but I sure like this sexy XServe enclosure. It has pretty graphics too!” No “article” necessary.
I’m absolutely no Windows fan, but it seems a bit ridiculous to rate server OSs based on how well the user (admittedly already a Mac user) was able to guess his way through account creation. Regardless of which system is easier to configure, server OSs generally should NOT be administered by people like him – people with no education or training about them. People like him are the reason there are open mail relays and unpatched servers. He shouldn’t be an administrator. Pay a professional.
Couldn’t do a simple task of adding a user in Windows Server 2003. It’s not THAT difficult, after reading that sentence I just gave up on the whole thing of being informative.
The writer has no clue in regards to IT administration, and because of that should not be allowed to write reviews on server products!
How much better Apple’s server software looked than Windows…
It may be me, but once the server is setup, how often does one even log into the server directly? It is a server after all…
I agree with you. I’m a Microsoft-free Mac user myself, but I thought this article was more than a bit much. The reviewer came across as an incompetent Mac zealot trying to bash Microsoft, by making it appear that their products are difficult to use. Which may actually be the case, but I certainly don’t trust this review to draw that conclusion.
Full of strange inconsistencies.
He could set up a new user very easily, but had problems setting up mail on OSX?
How about clicking on it in the drop-down list for the server, selecting settings tab and enabling whatever you want.
I don’t think either server is that difficult to administer if you do a little reading.
Yeah, this is a pretty lame article. I didn’t want to just delete it, for fear of losing your insightful comments, but apparently Eugenia was watching a soccer match when she posted this and wansn’t paying much attention. 🙂
I would really like to see a good in-depth comparison of Windows Server 2003 and Mac OS X server from the point of view of either an experienced sysadmin or a server neophyte. But either way, it would need to be a little more complete and rigorous. I think that it’s valid to remark on issues that proved to be difficult for a non-techie person to figure out, but it needs to be in the context of a less subjective and cursory examination.
If your not smart enough to set up a user account, why the hell would you try to review server OS’s. Anyway, as a Mac user, I wish people like this reviewer would stay off our side. Oh well, there’s one in every crowd.
>Eugenia was watching a soccer match
Yeah! Greece in the 4 of the EURO (won France 1-0). And it’s even more cool to watch when you are married to a French man. ;D
And I read Slashdot…
What a load of tosh.. Who wrote this review? Some prepubescent child? This person apparently came to the review with a preconceived opinion and a blatant bias and set out only to prove themselves right. Unfortunately it just comes over as incompetent, incoherent and just plumb badly conceived and written.
The premise is nice – and indeed it would be cool if someone could write a balanced and somewhat more neutral review comparing the two different server OS’.
But this was little more than amateurish drivel. How did this manage to slip through the net and end up on OS news?
GJ
Yeah! Greece in the 4 of the EURO (won France 1-0). And it’s even more cool to watch when you are married to a French man. ;D
No offence to all the nice French people other then Jaques Chiraque, but France didn’t deserve to go through at all; Go ‘Ellas!
Well, gotta think of something on-topic…
Eeeeh…
Windows Server 2003 makes a really good desktop OS! Really, that is true
“but apparently Eugenia was watching a soccer match when she posted this”
FOOTBALL!!!! not soccer… football!!
What a masterful parody! (I hope)
Did the author claim that this was a exhaustive review, or that it was being done from the perspective of an experienced system administrator?
There was some confusion about the difference between the hardware of the Mac, and the software, but I think everyone here knows that she was speaking of the software.
But visually, there’s just no contest. The Apple G5 Xserve is superior to the Windows Server 2003. Apple’s use of graphics made it quick and easy to get the information without having to spend time trying to figure out exactly what it was we were looking at to begin with.
Does anyone here really think she was talking aout Apple’s use of graphics on the server’s case?
Yes, you’re perfectly right to want an exhaustive review of the two operating systems from an experienced system admin’s viewpoint. However, that this article is not such a thing doesn’t automatically invalidate it.
[i]>Eugenia was watching a soccer match
Yeah! Greece in the 4 of the EURO (won France 1-0). And it’s even more cool to watch when you are married to a French man. ;D[i]
We (Portugal) wait for you(Greece) in Final, I hope so. Sorry my English
Google for the name of the author of this article and you will discover that her background is in graphic design not technology. I made this point, anonymously, over at OSViews when the article was linked there over a week ago. The fact that this article appeared linked here is very depressing indeed.
“Yeah! Greece in the 4 of the EURO (won France 1-0).”
I only just heard the stunning news myself. Congrats to Greece on their magnificent performances thus far. Eugenia, I hope for the sake of your marriage that you don’t gloat too much. This must be as tough for France to swallow as the muffed penalties were for the English. Euro 2004 has been an edge-of-the-seat affair, I must say!
Tuaregue,
What, one humiliating whipping by Greece wasn’t enough for Portugal, you’re looking forward to another? [Just kidding, I actually think Portugal will win the whole thing.]
Team to watch: the Czech Republic. Only a fool would take them lightly after they beat the Netherlands last week, then Der Mannschaft with nine second string players for God’s sake! The suicide rate in Germany probably went up after that.
Italy, Spain, England, Germany and France gone! My, my, how the mighty have fallen. This is as shocking as the 2002 World Cup.
Hey! This is certainly a lot more fun than that depressingly bad review. Some good came out of it after all.
“Editor’s Note: On second examination, this isn’t a very good article, so don’t bother unless you’re bored.”
That was by far the worst title for an article “Windows Windows Server 2003 vs. Mac G5 Xserve”
What an IDIOT she has to be…
She not sure if shes comparing the OS or the hardware.
My favorite quote in the article “But visually, there’s just no contest. The Apple G5 Xserve is superior to the Windows Server 2003.”
She couldn’t get thrue the password policies in Windows but were able to compare and publish reviews of a Windows 2003 server machine? cool! 😉
Today it’s Swedens day in soccer I hope!
I liked the review it made me remember how stupid i was when i had to setup my first NT server after spending a couple of years working only on the mac.
Other than that I hope that someone with access to an Xserve tries to write a more comprehensive article, with actual substance.
PS.
“Vamos continuar a dar toda a força do mundo a esta equipa… eles sem dúvida que merecem!
PORTUGAL, PORTUGAL, PORTUGAL!!!”
Since when adding users is an every day task for a server?
No body do graphics on sever. Processing graphics/3d may be, but not doing graphics. The cr(h)ackers must be even more and more stupid today trying to own the box by guessing password. If that is your idea of so call security test, I would hope you don’t work for a security/consultant firms, goverment agency, computer magazine/reviewer nor the company that I work for.
In terms of security, the Windows Server 2003 might be your better bet because of more restrictions on its password rules. However, since I couldn’t even get through the password policies, it may have been a little too secure for my blood.
Seriously, I don’t even know should I laugh or cry…
Daniella really surprised me. Ussually she does pretty good articles but this one just plain stunk. Oh well, everyones entitled to a bad day. Being a Mac user she obviously knows her way around the Mac but she doesnt know anything about Windows Server 2003. She should have taken more time to do testing on the Windows side. To me it just seemed like she did this review just to pitch Apples offerings. You could tell by the way she was referring to Apples hardware.
Seriously, I don’t even know should I laugh or cry…
There’s an easy fix for that, laugh until you cry.
Anybody think this reviewer’s head just might implode if she attempted to setup a NetBSD system running Apache?
Whose joke was it to let this poor fellow review server operating systems?
I think I should write a review of an iMac vs. a Dell PowerEdge 2650 server. Forget the OS, guess who gonna kick who’s a__?
Let’s start with the basics of writing an OS review!
Rule # 1 – Use comparable hardware.
If you violate the first rule, you might as well toss the rest!