On Mon, 22 Mar 2004, Chris Barnes wrote:
> Grant Baxter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
[snip..]
> > I've used Windows only for the past twenty or so years. I've never
> > touched any Unix variant, so I would like some recommendations for the
> > easiest Unix variant to set up and get running as a mail server with
> > SA (including all the pieces parts I need, if you feel like it).
> >
> > I don't want to need to learn Unix to set this mail server up.
>
> That's kind of like saying you would like to buy a car (for the first
> time), but don't want to learn how to drive, put gas in, or change the
> oil.
>
> You might be able to make the initial purchase (install the OS) and
> maybe even drive it for a few weeks (get the mail system up and
> running). But sooner or later, you're going to have a problem which
> will require you to open the hood....
Not to mention the minor detail that you will need to learn how to
do security/bug-fix updates (learn how to get notifications, act upon
them, etc).
Given the war-zone that the internet is turning into, almost -nothing-
connected to the net is safe from needing updates. Heck we even
had to update the firmware in our JetDirect printer network cards due
to a security related flaw. ;(
If you want a Unix variant that is easy to install, has automatic
vendor supplied notifications/updates, has vendor supplied hand-holding
service, runs open-source software (mostly), you might consider MacOS X
(a BSD variant).
If you can only relate to GUIs, it's got that in spades, if you want
to open xterms and do everything at the shell level, that works too.
Heck, even my daughter's 60 year old violin teacher can manage
a MacOS X box, and those G5s are nice. ;)
--
Dave Funk University of Iowa
<dbfunk (at) engineering.uiowa.edu> College of Engineering
319/335-5751 FAX: 319/384-0549 1256 Seamans Center
Sys_admin/Postmaster/cell_admin Iowa City, IA 52242-1527
#include <std_disclaimer.h>
Better is not better, 'standard' is better. B{
