Another 2 cents (plus GST) worth from a long term newbie......
My job involves managing a school network, our primary aim is to be able to
provide the services that the users want (teachers and students) note they
are NOT 'lusers', they are the reason I have a job (and possibly many of you
as well). If they were all experts they would not need me, but then they are
experts in their own field.
To do this support and provide the services required we MUST run Windows
based software, it makes up a huge % of the education market. We need to
run systems that people are familiar with, that they use at home and
elsewhere.
We do use LINUX as our internet gateway, mail server, web server, proxy
server and are looking at putting a few systems in the library simply running
Netscape, and are even toying with the idea of using a Linux server for user
home directories.
I have used both Windows and Linux for a number of years, I much prefer
Windows to upgrade and install packages - I don't have time to learn all the
intricacies of each package or all the arcane commands associated with
Linux, I can in some places do a make, make install etc, but unless the
package takes care of installing in the right place I am stuffed! I much prefer
to use an rpm or even a nice setup.sh (as in Webmin). In fact the main
reason my packages lag behind is because of the difficulty to upgrade or
apply patches..
For example these are some of the things I have been told to do (or read):
recompile with the x switch...
run god.knows.what.command
untar the tarball first..
do a clean install....
etc, etc
as opposed to Windows:
obtain package (same degree of difficulty)
run a program mysteriously named 'Setup'
sometimes reboot the system
I can also find plenty of Windows for Dummies type books (yeah real paper!)
written in simplistic language for when I am learning a new trick in Windows,
in Linux I have to scroll up and down Man pages - damn things won't even
print properly - and what language is that they are talking and yes I do have
some of the O'Reilly books. Nearly every How-To I have read assumes way
too much knowledge, if you knew what they were talking about you wouldn't
need them!
I like Linux for it's price and stability - although we rarely (not one in the last
12 months) have an NT server crash either.
> You know, I can't think of anything easier than:
>
> # apt-get install blah
Seems so simple really, why didn't I think of that??
I am learning stuff every day: how to support 1000 users on only 100
machines with 15 printers, email, web browsing, application software,
network security, anti-viral and anti-intrusion protection, video, cd, dvd and
the development of in-house applications with just two of us
Seems some people don't want Linux to reach the mass market and
seriously chalenge MS - which would be a good thing - I would like myself
and my users to have a much greater choice.
Having got that off my chest I will go back to lurking and hopefully learning
some more.
--
Simon Bryan [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Information Technology Manager [EMAIL PROTECTED]
OLMC Parramatta
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