Which OS is the best for small business server?

[mctan]

Which one is better? Window Server 2003? Linux? or other?

[redbeacon]

Windows Server 2003 for efficiency and redundancy.

 

Linux Server for performance, security, and features (hey, it's open source anyways)

 

These are to the best of my knowledge. Maybe you're inclined towards either one?

[mctan]

Windows Server 2003 for efficiency and redundancy.

 

Linux Server for performance, security, and features (hey, it's open source anyways)

 

These are to the best of my knowledge. Maybe you're inclined towards either one?

 

Have no idea about this two OS.

Heard from people that Linux is open source, but might need to pay for future update or service.

Window need to purchase the license in the beginning, but get free upgrade, update, able to get help easily.

Is it true?

Tkx

[redbeacon]

Linux is no doubt open source, but companies are injecting fees just to earn commission.

 

Take Red Hat Linux for example. It was once free. Now it's fee-based. To put it into crude layman terms, software companies pursuing Linux as their business base can put forth any "excuse" to make it fee-based.

 

The heart of the Linux OS itself remains free, but the development, documentation, the DVDs that hold the installation files, the additional add-ons and applications, not forgetting aftermarket support and future updates or upgrades, all contribute to the price of the software off the counter or from the Internet. This is legitimate business, by the way.

 

For Windows, you've just answered your question.

[mctan]

Linux is no doubt open source, but companies are injecting fees just to earn commission.

 

Take Red Hat Linux for example. It was once free. Now it's fee-based. To put it into crude layman terms, software companies pursuing Linux as their business base can put forth any "excuse" to make it fee-based.

 

The heart of the Linux OS itself remains free, but the development, documentation, the DVDs that hold the installation files, the additional add-ons and applications, not forgetting aftermarket support and future updates or upgrades, all contribute to the price of the software off the counter or from the Internet. This is legitimate business, by the way.

 

For Windows, you've just answered your question.

 

Thank you.

[WildCard]

Linux is no doubt open source, but companies are injecting fees just to earn commission.

 

Just saw this today. Hope my reply's not too late.

 

Redbeacon,

Perhaps you may have misunderstood the concept of GPL.

In layman's term: GPL is a licensing method in which a software (including the Linux Kernel) written & distributed under the GPL license is to be distributed along with the its source code, not just the binary executables.

Means to say, if I were to get a GPL-covered software, modified the source code, re-compiled it & distribute it to, say, you, I must make an equal effort to release the source code with the changes I made.

I can either distribute both freely or I can charge any amount of fee to get both (not seperately) distributed. But if I don't distribute out my modified program, then I'm not obligated to release my source code.

GPL is not free software. Rather it works on the principle that software must have freedom to be distributed & not shackled down by proprietary licensing, NDA, etc.

 

Best read -> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

 

This means, although you have to pay to get a copy of RH Enterprise Linux, you also can get the source code & modify it. CentOS is the most popular of such Enterprise-to-free conversion projects.

 

Fret not, there are still free distributions of Linux. Currently Ubuntu is one of the rising stars.

Dell has recently formed an agreement with Ubuntu to have their desktop PCs fitted with Kubuntu, the KDE desktop version of Ubuntu. Means that industrial-grade Linux device drivers will be made to be compatible with most of Dell hardware.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6610901.stm

 

Might be in a few years, you get Dell servers with Ubuntu Linux, like wat IBM tried with RHL.

Rumour has it that even HP is joining in. But not firm word which distro they will use.

 

Seriously, try considering a Linux setup if you are on a small office.

I'm now thinking of switching to Kubuntu for my home PCs after hearing horror stories of Vista and its DRM features...

 

http://badvista.fsf.org/what-s-wrong-with-microsoft-windows-vista

[redbeacon]

Hmm...great reference you've got there.

 

I've not touched Linux for a long time since the inception of Mandriva...do businesses usually toy around with the kernel, shaping it in another way to suit their business needs? I was told that RedHat is one example of a prepackaged Linux distribution that people simply install, set and let-run to serve users.

[WildCard]

Hmm...great reference you've got there.

 

I've not touched Linux for a long time since the inception of Mandriva...do businesses usually toy around with the kernel, shaping it in another way to suit their business needs? I was told that RedHat is one example of a prepackaged Linux distribution that people simply install, set and let-run to serve users.

 

Some businesses do, especially if their sys admins are Linux gods themselves.

I suspect my manager did this for the corporate firewall before I joined the company. Haven't had the chance to touch it yet but will know more later.

 

Red Hat isn't the only distro that comes prepackaged and ready to run.

Its just tat it used to be the most popular and spoken about. Note the word "used" as its popularity slipped recently due to going enterprise.

Ubuntu is another "server-ready" Linux. I'm currently trying to get it up on my spare PC at home so I can get it to be my FP server.

 

There's also the other mainstream distros like Mandrake, Debian (to which Ubuntu is based on), Suse & more....

[redbeacon]

Some businesses do, especially if their sys admins are Linux gods themselves.

I suspect my manager did this for the corporate firewall before I joined the company. Haven't had the chance to touch it yet but will know more later.

 

Red Hat isn't the only distro that comes prepackaged and ready to run.

Its just tat it used to be the most popular and spoken about. Note the word "used" as its popularity slipped recently due to going enterprise.

Ubuntu is another "server-ready" Linux. I'm currently trying to get it up on my spare PC at home so I can get it to be my FP server.

 

There's also the other mainstream distros like Mandrake, Debian (to which Ubuntu is based on), Suse & more....

Mm hmm...I'm gonna share a rant that's off-topic here as well:

 

A lot of my mates whom I go to I.T. courses with complain that job headhunters come with funny I.T. proficiency prerequisites such as Unix, Linux and the like. In our dialog, we did cite security as one of the probable reasons since everybody's talking about how strong it is, but for us peanuts below the I.T. corporate ladder, we have yet to "feel" it's usefulness.

 

Oh well, maybe a $10 technology magazine would help?