News Group Posts

Microsoft vs. Unix

From: rja.carnegie@excite.com (Robert Carnegie)
Subject: Re: Stop the Microsoft Incursion!
Date: 6 Nov 2001 02:15:11 -0800
References: <20011104221700.A22522@egps.egps.com> 

"Nachman Yaakov (Yankel) Ziskind" <awacs@egps.com> wrote in message news:<20011104221700.A22522@egps.egps.com>...
> Our shop (which has our Unix box doing application/file/print
> /mail/DNS services, etc.) just invited in a consultant to look
> over the NT side (1% of our revenues, 30% of our resources :-( )
> to 'suggest'. Of course, his first 'suggestion' was to buy a new
> Win2K server and assign it everything. In addition, he'd like to
> replace the routers, hubs and backup software with stuff *he*
> likes. $70k PLUS $125/hour installation time. 
> 
> I have my doubts about this, of course, but my boss (who is
> *usually* quite reasonable [=listens to me]) told me to 'have an
> open mind', whatever that means. Now the NT servers, apart from
> the continual maintenance, have been reasonably stable, OTOH,
> when the SCO box last PANICed, Bill Clinton was President.
> 
> So, if any of you could volunteer suggestions, facts, lies or
> what-have-you (I was particularly thinking about Tony Lawrence
> here - he has *such* a way with words!), I would gratefully
> accept.

On Windows, you could say that you can't even buy Windows 2000
any more, only Windows XP, and you can't buy that either, they
only charge you an annual rent which is as much as MS says it is.
None of this is strictly and absolutely true but it should
effectively scare the heck out of the boss.

Incidentally, using a Windows server for everything isn't
even recommended by Microsoft.  They say, one server, one service;
a multiple-function server will be overloaded.  This way, they get
to sell more servers.  This advice is at www.microsoft.com and
it helps to make your consultant (as you report him) look bad.

Mind you, what's a Windows consultant going to do except recommend
Windows solutions?  Let's suppose he's relatively honest and he's
recommended the best Windows solution that he can think of.
It's up to you to argue that that solution is not significantly
better than what you already have.

As for scrapping your network and backup hardware - if the kit
that you've got is doing what you need to do now, and will
continue to meet your needs for, oh, a couple of years more -
if it's secure against exploits, and supported against future
exploits, and if parts can be replaced as needed - then why
the heck spend money that you don't need to spend?

If it isn't exploit-proof inside and out, the guy might have a point.

Perhaps your network infrastructure isn't up to giving you
Windows XP NetMeeting full-motion video on every desktop.  Well,
it doesn't need to be.  You could pull up some reports on why
no-one much needs or wants video phones - cool as they are.

Bonus points for finding faults with the specific systems
that the consultant recommends.  Heck, everything has bugs,
and responsible manufacturers document them online; obtain
that documentation and use it ruthlessly.  Are you the BOFH
or aren't you?
 

Comments?

Jump to Comments

Many of the products and books I review are things I purchased for my own use. Some were given to me specifically for the purpose of reviewing them. I resell or can earn commissions from the sale of some of these items. Links within these pages may be affiliate links that pay me for referring you to them. That's mostly insignificant amounts of money; whenever it is not I have made my relationship plain. I also may own stock in companies mentioned here. If you have any question, please do feel free to contact me.

Specific links that take you to pages that allow you to purchase the item I reviewed are very likely to pay me a commission. Many of the books I review were given to me by the publishers specifically for the purpose of writing a review. These gifts and referral fees do not affect my opinions; I often give bad reviews anyway.

We use Google third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.