[Gllug] is this a big problem?

[Matthew Thompson]

On 26 Aug 2005, at 09:35, Liam Smit wrote:



> And when something goes wrong with AD then you are up a certain creek
> without a paddle because _you_ can't fix it and the piece of software
> can't fix it either.
>
>

Can the average sys admin fix software? I know I'd not be able to  
delve into the reams and reams of sourcecode to find the problem with  
an LDAP installation if I had ascertained that the software was at  
fault.

I also know that my IT director would want assurances that the code  
changes I'd made would be easily transplantable into future releases  
and that the changes I had made were not locking us into a system  
that could not be supported by third parties.

Linux in the enterprise is often supported by maintenance contracts -  
the cost of Linux for us is now the cost of a SUSE maintenance  
contract - this is about the cost of a Windows Server license - we've  
already paid for the bulk of our CALs and if we don't get rid of  
Windows altogether we'd have to keep buying the CALs.

This is where you have to consider - for the bulk of companies which  
are running applications because they are 100% compatible - Sales,  
bespoke databases etc - with what other companies are running is a  
100% approach to linux really faesible.

We produce products for the bulk market so we have to support  
Windows. Linux is used where it has technical advantages - higher  
throughput, greater adherance to standards. However these are areas  
where Micrsoft is picking up speed.



> As to pushing down software to keep user machines up to date that
> sounds like someone is shoe horning the fat client model to fit the
> thin client model.
>
>

So it's better to leave users running old software versions? I'm not  
talking about pushing installs of Micrsoft Office but our small  
(<10Mb) internal applications are perfectly suited to being checked  
and pushed at logon.



> Of course the chances that the Microsoft person will be able to fix
> anything if it breaks are also pretty remote. Retry, reboot, reinstall
> anyone?
>
>

The chances that a ys admin will be able to fix the problem with  
software are pretty remote wether the software is Linux, Windows, VMS  
etc - however Microsoft's technical support is very good and have  
helped us with a number of obscure problems. We've never had to pay  
and the results have always been pretty quick. The only problem  
they've not been able to fixed appears to be a platform specific  
problem with SMP Athlons on a certain chipstet.



> There's something to be said for simple wizard based setup of systems
> but it's also good to learn the system internals. It means you know
> how it works, why it breaks and where to look to fix it.
>
>

You can fiddle with the internals of a lot of Microsoft software -  
you just need to know where to look. And there are arguments to  
benefit it being better that you know where to look to make changes  
rather than having to look in those places to get started.

We use Linux, We use Windows but ultimately the choice comes down to  
business requirements. We have a requirement to develop applications  
on and for Windows. Because of this and the complexity of our  
internal applications we're not in a position to use Linux across the  
board - however we use it where it benefits us, but not for cost. On  
that it remains relatively cost neutral.

M at t :o)


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