alexalex

For the record my windows servers are up, non-stop about 2 months, i am not worried as much about my up time as i am my security.

hello,

afterburn: in reference too: http://www.htmlforums.com/asp-and-as...tml#post612533


Ive stumbled upon this thread and i wish to give some feedback as to the differences of Windows and Linux - and which one in my mind is better.

im a systems administrator been so for around 7 years now, in my career have been directly responsible of administrating in total over 80+ windows machines (server 2000, 2003) and over 140+ linux machines (freebsd, debain, fedora, redhat, centos, suse, mandrake), Ive used nearly every other linux distro under the sun at least once.

Based on the information I would call myself an expert linux user, and a very experienced windows user.

I currently adminstrate 37 windows machines and 46 Linux machines across 70 high profile multi million dollar Businesses, dotted across the UK and Europe.


Windows has its flaws, and so does linux, ill list them now:

Windows.

1) when something breaks or stops working, i want to know why, event viewer with its 24 digit hex code and error message #insert random number here, that i have to look up on goolge, sucks. i come across error message/number 1 more often than not, because windows does know what the crap its doing. Linux doesnt do this, itll tell whats gone wrong, and why in nice clean logs,

2) fixing issues in windows is like open heart suregery, i remember having to fix up some dll files, hack registry keys, wipe data from cfg files, just to get some program working agian, only to find out that i broke another program on the other side of the universe. Linux doesnt do this.

3) windows services will break down from time to time for absolutly no reason, which sometimes puts you down the road of (see #2) ..... Linux, once its up and working, will stay up and working, no registry to screw with your head, no random dll files, no stupid windows stuff that hangs off the sides. Linux will work as its told to work, how its told to work, and when told to work, Linux is smart, and doesnt try to think for itself like Windows does for the user and screws up; Linux is as smart as the user, which i can understand why _some_ people havent got very far in it.


4) lets touch on security, Windows is infact less secure than Linux... how or why you ask?

Permission rights: Windows stores alot of **** in the registry, did you know you can even get your dailup passwords, outlook passwords from registry in PLAIN format?. Linux however isnt completely stupid, and stores its local user passwords in very nice 'shadow' areas which in common man speak, is impossible to crack into, unless you have supercomputer and are willing to crack code..

More Permission rights: when you crack into a windows system through a process, chances are your whole system would be exposed to a hacker, one way or another, the same goes for linux, BUT - there is a big but here, as long as your a savvy Linux user you can do whats called - to 'jail' processes (securing the process aroudn the user thats running that process) into certian areas, so effectivly they may of found a way in, but they cant do anything about it because they are jailed in an area,

Windows cannot do this - linux has very simply handed one solution to help stop hackers getting in and finding holes with linux processes, but doesnt mean they could potentially get around this too, but the difference is Linux provides more secruity solutions (not just this one) than Windows


Viruses & malware: Windows hates viruses and succumbs so easily to them without protection, Explorer bugs (i could go on for hours about those), um malware and spyware..... Linux - only a handful of viruses, and spyware/malware isnt an issue because of permission based security


5) http://www.htmlforums.com/asp-and-as...tml#post612533

in this thread its stated that windows was best for ASP and .net and stuff - and it does a great job of this, MSSQL is also a good piece of technology, it can flip numbers around and do its thing on a excel style spreadsheet.


Windows however isnt good at: email servers, high availability load balancing clustering webservers, DNS servers, user authentication, mirroring services, and i could just go on and on and on listing stuff Linux has the advantages on.

Tell me, why do nearly _EVERY_ ISP around the world use linux for nearly all of their services, EXCEPT asp and .net?

its because Microsoft havent opened up their code, otherwise they would be all 100% linux based servers;

Windows could probably do what i listed above, but probably wouldnt be as good, and it would be very interesting to see a enginner sane enough to even bother, infact, that enginner could make a movie on it, and sell it on ebay, because, people would watch him rip his hair out.

Linux is also widly used in: the world stock exchange, research labs, banks, universities, governments, ISP's, hell even Microsoft uses linux(unix).


why dont they use Windows for their tasks?

Its because Linux, one way or another, whatever arguements you have agianst it - whatever 'security issues' it may have, even its 'dos' style command line or its way or doing things, is better than Windows, the proof is infront of your eyes, otherwise businesses would like the ones i listed above would be using Windows; the proof is in the pudding, windows sucks trying to do certian tasks.


Windows and Linux both have their advantages, if you can be bothered - reading and learning a new way of server administration, i strongly recommend Linux - it will open your mind as its done to me, otherwise, if you cant be bothered then by all means stick with the point and click system of windows, and be trapped in your coffin 6 foot under ground



oh, i just found another thing, one last difference, guess how much it costs these days for a small business Windows 2003 server standard edition? anywhere from 800-1900 POUNDS. (thats $1500 US to $4000 US) - the cost of Linux? $0





goodnight, have fun picking my post to pieces, and excuse the typos.