[Sussex] LINUX takes on Xserve

[Neil Ford]

On Friday, January 10, 2003, at 09:50 AM, Iain Stevenson wrote:

>
>
> --On Friday, January 10, 2003 9:05 am +0000 Neil Ford 
> <neil at smudgypixels.net> wrote:
>
>> Due to Apple's insistence of sticking so much in the Netinfo database,
>> close configuration of a Mac OS X box is not as easy as on other
>> comparable operating systems. In conjunction with Apple's relative
>> tardiness in getting updated versions of things like OpenSSH make it a
>> less than suitable platform for a secure application. Too much on the 
>> box
>> is still proprietary for it to compete against a truly open source 
>> system.
>>
>
> It has lagged with SSH .. but not that far behind.  How many Linux 
> systems really run the latest version?

If it's the main purpose of the server (which was the original poster's 
point), then I would have said that keeping the machine patched is very 
important. Yes, the vast majority of Linux systems probably aren't up 
to date, but then hopefully most of them aren't sitting as front line 
security boxes.

>
>> The Xserve's strengths are it's familiarity for existing Mac shops and
>> integration with Mac OS clients.
>
> Debatable - OS X isn't like the old OS9 since it abandons treasured 
> parts of the MacOS like the need not to use file extensions and 
> introduces that damned dock (yes, I'm a 21 year Apple veteran with OS9 
> and a great unwillingness to pay Apple prices for a poorer user 
> experience).  Anyone adopting OS X has to accommodate many changes as 
> discussions on the Yellowdog Linux mailing lists frequently point out.
>
OS X is indeed different. Whether or not the user experience is poorer 
is very much a personal thing. I like having a far more stable platform 
with proper memory management and the flexibility having unix at it's 
core provides.

> Netatalk supports AppleShare volumes on Linux so unless the user wants 
> the simpler configuration of OS X and/or Apple's web tools they may as 
> well get their Unix-like experience with Linux.
>
For a lot of Mac shops, the simpler configuration is a big selling 
point. Persuading them that they can do it a lot cheaper with open 
source solutions is an uphill struggle, hell some of them have even 
been seduced by suppliers to install MS SBS because it had a gui and 
Apple had no real server offerings!

For me, I'm just working out if I can justify a 17" powerbook :-)

Neil.