OT: Coolest thing... SCO on 2003 server!

[John Esak]

<previous message>
Virtual machines are useful - but personally, I would never willingly nor
happily run a production server in a standard virtual machine in the
configuration you mention - in large part because of the concerns with
making a more secure/stable *nix susceptable to the foibles and frailities
of the windows host system. I've considered the linux virtual server style
of applications for some things, but ultimately couldn't convince myself
that the security gain was worth the performance hit - or I find a more
elegant way to gain the security I was hoping to buy.

-- Silas
</end of previous message>


Silas,

I can see that you are a Unix zealot. :-)  And, I can appreciate that stand
entirely. I used to be of the same mind as you. Not any more. Windows 2003
Server is plenty stable enough for my home system.  This has always included
and previously been based solidly on a Unix core. Things have changed over
the past 5 years. I now rely strongly on various Windows platforms. As for a
production server as a virtual system... I don't think I would ever do that
either... with *nix guesting under Windows. While I totally trust 2003 these
days, my uptimes with Unix hover in the hundreds of days, and I like it that
way. I have 2003 servers staying up that long now also... so, things *are*
changing.  In any case, virtual pc does put the guest system at the mercy of
the host system, and why do this under any circumstances for a producton
system?

As for running Linux... We kind of do things the other way around in our
sites.  The data is all stored on Unix, but everyone has the benefit of a
full Windows environment as their desktop. We manage to keep the systems
free from virus's and security problems... No, it isn't easy, but it is our
job to do that. Our needs are too widely varying from place to place, office
to office to limit ourselves and our users to only those things that Linux
(or Unix) offer. In the end run, the rationale for doing this may be that it
is just _easier_.  This may not be a _good_ reason, but it allows us much
more time to write applications if we are not constantly trying to figure
out how to do on Linux what is dead simple on Windows. For example, me
writing this email with the benefit of a full screen reaer that works
perfectly. Not yet a reality for Linux.

John