Re: linux vs AS/400

Walden Leverich wrote:

> Roy,
>
> IMHO, linux is great for several reasons. I can run it on just about any PC
> like hardware, I can hack the kernel or other code to change anything I
> don't like, and if I need a driver for a piece of hardware there is probably
> already one, and if not, I can find someone in the 10,000 or so linux
> developers that will write it for me this weekend just "because it's fun"
>
> Having said that, WHY would you run, or try to run, your enterprise on it.
> Linux is a great platform to play on, to try stuff on, to mess around with,
> etc. OS/400 is none of these, OS/400 is STABLE, period! If I'm going to play
> the greatest games, mess around with bleeding hardware and barely-beta
> software linux is there for me, if I'm going to run a multi-million/billion
> dollar company, OS/400 is the only choice.
>

Walden,

Having said all that, IMO Linux has a very good place ... communications/print
server.

I regard Linux as "UNIX Lite".  The Linux community makes great efforts to
provide both a stable and beta version of Kernels and utilities (they are
specified by the x.xx.xx notation).  The "distributions" butter their bread by
the stable versions.

Heck I wouldn't run an enterprise on it either, but to acquire the fastest 
TCP/IP
gateway software for around $50 running on that dusty old 486/66 sure beats
$1,000 for a router.

BTW, most distributions include the "Apache" (aka the defacto standard) web
server.

There is an old proverb that goes along the line that the value perceived is the
cost paid.  In many cases this is true. IMO, Linux is underrated because it is
free. Low cost, low value?  Not.  (VW's were low cost)

You may want to pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal about a week ago that
had a front page article on the "surprise" value of Linux and potential impact.

Give it a chance, hey, you might even like it.  Red Hat has a good installation
wrapper to make things easier and Caldera has a good distribution that includes
the Netscape "Fast Track" server along with Apache and a GUI desktop.

Up here in the Pacific NW we have plenty of rainy Sundays to take something out
for a test drive. ;-)

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