Serious investigations into UNIX and Windows

[Butterworth, Thaddaeus (UI Exploratory)]

I work in a testing environment where I have set up both Windows and
*nix type servers. The first time I set up a server it was Exchange 2003
on Windows Server 2003. I was able to figure out how to securely set it
up within two hours. On the other hand, setting up ldap on FreeBSD took
me two days. All of these needed to connect to various computing
platforms, including the embedded systems (using LYNX) that I was
testing. I've worked with Windows, *nix, and Mac OS. I've found Mac to
be the easiest to work with, Windows second easiest, and the *nix take
far more skill than the other two combined. Part of the issue that you
are facing from your description of the complications with Windows,
comes from trying to make windows do what windows was not designed to
do. I don't care what Bill Gates says, none of the windows server
environments were ever designed with anything more than simple, small
networks in mind. It's part of the culture of MS. They started out with
personal computing systems, and then decided that they would get into
the server market. They inherently approach all software from a personal
computing standpoint. That's why there are so many "undocumented"
procedures to make things work the way that they are supposed to. On the
other hand, *nix was designed for larger systems and networking, that's
why it has been so much harder for the average person to get into. It's
not really a matter of what is better for everybody, but what is better
for the context that you are working under. I've recommended both
Windows and *nix solutions to people. It just depends on who I am
talking to. It's the same thing with this subject. I cannot and will not
emphatically state that one OS is better than the other. I can tell you
which I prefer, but you have to look at the needs of the individual or
company and try to determine the right solution from there. If you are
having to mess around with undocumented procedures and do all this extra
junk just to secure your windows servers, then I would say you need to
take a serious look at changing your server OS. 

For what it's worth, there's my .02.

 

Thad Butterworth

 

 

 

 

>Windows WAS simpler than UNIX.  No longer.  You need to get out into

>the field again, you have been sitting behind a desk managing things

>for too long.  I'd love to see you setup a Active Directory network of

>any size that contains mixed Windows versions.  You would lose a lot of

>these misguided preconceptions.