[Sussex] NOW: So, who are the all-time greats? WAS Hello all

[Mark Harrison]

Geoff,

Let me start by stating that _I_ didn't put Bill on the "most influential
list" either, so I'm not going to talk to that part of your post :-)

However, you wrote:

> [...] but, I have to
> say that IT managers buy Windows NT/2000 for file, print and web serving,
at
> massive expense then they are either idiots or they are not doing their
job
> properly - that annoys me - but it isn't relevant to this discussion.

I'm sorry, but I find that ill-considered and offensive. Neither of these is
words I use lightly, and that I should use them of you is surprising - over
the few months I've been on the SLUG list, I've come to the view that your
posts are highly articulate and thought through.

Your statement is so wide-sweeping to be patently untrue. It makes no
allowance for the fact that different organisations may have different
priorities.

I write as someone who started his working life on front-line support. For
three years, from mid 1997-mid 2000, I was the European IT Manager of a
"startup" company. This company operated in 17 countries across Europe, had
a turnover of $700m, and was a joint venture between two (household name)
parents. I was responsible for putting the systems in from cold. Both of the
parents had adopted a Microsoft strategy, and had significant licencing
deals available. Likewise, both parents had large IT teams trained in MS,
who were, if required, available to me in many of my sites. In making a
broad-brush statement, you have said that my decision to adopt MS products
was stupidity or incompetence. I am amazed that you are able to discern this
without knowing ANYTHING about the organisation.

Frankly, I _did_ feel strongly enough about the MS Web Server product set to
avoid using that.

I adopted NT for file and print sharing, despite the fact that I used Linux
at home. This was a decision taken based on working through the options, not
out of some mindless bias.

I am _NOT_ arguing with the assertion that, in many cases, Linux would be a
FAR better solution to file/print services that MS. However, I _am_
disagreeing that an IT manager recommending the use of MS products is, prima
face, evidence of incompetence. Different solutions are appropriate in
different places, and broad-brush "You must be stupid not to use XXX"
comments are as unacceptable from the Open-Source camp as they are coming
from the MS camp.

Mark Harrison