OT: *nix OS

[Richard Kreiss]

I have been following the thread on the issues with Umberto and the other Linux installs.

Over the years Windows Server has been knocked by most of you as bloated and difficult to install and configure.  It appears to me that there are many issues with the various "flavors" of Linux based on the recent comments.

Keep in mind that most of the hardware improvements available to the *nix community have come about because of the Windows operating system.  Yes, Windows is memory hungry and takes lot of space to install.  However, your *nix OS's, take advantage of these improvements in that they can run faster and in most cases require less disk space to install.  However, in many cases installing additional hardware is not as easy as with Windows.  Also, most of the development of video boards, NICs and USB cards have been for Windows based computers with some of the manufacturers also supporting *nix.

The availability of SSDs has come about by the need for more storage space on smart phones and other devices which take pictures. Prices have dropped drastically while performance a quality have improves markedly.  The newer M.2 SSD drives offer even better performance.  Running *nix and *nix based application on these type of drives offer even better performance improvements over Windows.  Larger HDDs is also an outgrowth of the space needed by Windows based applications as well as the size of photo files.

I just installed 4 - 4TB drives in a NAS.  Who would have even dreamed years ago of this level of storage.  A 15MB hard drive was considered huge and when the first 35MB Hdds came out, the computer writers of the time wrote "who would ever need that much storage".  Samsung has a 1Tb SSD available.  It isn't cheap but consider running your *nix OS and programs with this drive and either the fastest Intel or AMD  processor.

When I read reviews of these processors performance, the testing is normally done on a Windows based computer.  You all are taking advantage of manufactures improving their offerings to meet the requirements of Windows.

If memory serves, many of the *nix installations ran on Motorola processors.  I am going to assume that most if not all of the installations today are using Intel X86 type of multicore processors .  Yes, *nix will run faster on the same of lesser hardware saving on cost.  But the improvements that have come are directly related to the requirements of Windows based computers.  Although it appears that Apple is going to start to produce their own processors again.  I have not read anything about if they are planning  on producing X86 based processors or one of their own design.  Their own design would insure that their OS only ran on their computers but would make purchasing accessory cards more expensive if the manufacturers do not write drivers for IOS.

Another question, when was the last time you had to set dip switches on a card being installed?  I did have to set a small set of dip switches for the QNAP NAS I installed.  The switches set the firmware to configure either a raid array or JBOD.  Or when was the last time you had to install memory chips that looked like a spider?  Consider all of the improvements the were brought about by industry trying to keep up with Microsoft.  Most of these improvements have benefitted the *nix world also.

I have not been associated with *nix OS in almost 40 years.  I did have one client who had a business custom application which ran on a Unix computer.  That application was eventually replaced by a new application which ran on a window server and was based on a Dbase type of database. This client was a knit goods converter whose quantity was yards and the fractions were in 12ths of a yard not 10ths.  The new application was in tenths not 12ths.

By the way, Microsoft has made installing and configuring Windows Server 2012 much simpler.  I have been able to do a direct comparison as I installed Server 2102 on my new server and did a clean install of Windows 2008 on my old server.

I have versions of filePro from version 3 through 5.8 available.  I do have an issue running versions earlier the 5.0 as my systems are all 64bit and some of the DLL's will run on a 32 bit machine but not 64Bit.  I don't know if this is an issue with *nix based systems.

It appears that all Oss have issues that require knowledge individuals to solve.  The problem is that there are fewer and fewer knowledge people who can solve problems.  Computer education appears to not to be educating students on how to solve problems.  They learn rote solutions to issues and if that doesn't work they are lost.  One of my clients purchased an new server from a reseller.  The reseller installed Windows Server 2012 and had problems.  When it took about 45 minutes for the server to log a user off, I called the manufacture's support department.  They told the reseller the same thing I had advised them a week earlier to do, Blow away the original installation and do a clean install.  After copying off some of the Active Directory files, the  reinstall was done and the issues disappeared.  My client lost a week or more of using the new server.  The old server was still in operation and remained on for 2 months after moving to the new server.





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