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Open Source Software in a Windows Environment?
brennan73 asks: "Like many people, I work in a Windows NT/2000 shop that has absolutely resisted bringing *nixes into our environment. Everyone has their reasons - my boss has resisted because it would be more difficult and expensive to find a replacement admin if I leave, since said replacement would need to be able to administer both Windows and *nix boxes, which I can understand. But I'm still curious...has anyone out there replaced major pieces of Microsoft software with open source equivalents in a medium-to-large business environment, while still running on the Windows platform?"
"Like many people in such shops, I've just about had it with IIS's security problems. I'm also highly unimpressed with Microsoft's new licensing schemes. In other words, between security and money concerns, I can see good reasons for businesses to look for alternatives to Microsoft's standard offerings, for apps and utilities if OSes are ruled out by management.
So, I'm thinking of replacing IIS and Office with Apache and StarOffice for Windows, and I'm open to other examples on both servers and the desktop. Why did you switch? How painful was it for both you and the users? Any experiences that anyone could relate, even failed experiments, would be great."
> my boss has resisted because it would be more difficult and expensive to find a replacement admin if I leave
:) why would you leave if you like your job? isn't it a way of saying "I want to be on the safe side if I throw you out" hehe...
Sounds like the reverse-excuse
Yeah maybe alarmist, but you can install BSD or Linux on the same hardware that runs windows, so if you'd leave you could always offer to put the system (or the parts you changed, i.e. probably Email firewall and httpd) back on a windows platform for the next person that would replace you... Normally when you give your 2 weeks (or more depending on the terms) notice, you have time to train someone for the basic stuff and fix/tweak the last things...
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
...is convincing the new *NIX admin to not hit ctrl-alt-delete.
...is reminding that the root user cannot log in from telnet.
...is getting accustomed to a CLI.
If the admins can't adapt, they should be fired. I guess an MSCE cert didn't get you very much after all.
Whenever I'm using Windows (my 'wife' has to for compatibility with her school) and I'm moderating on Slashdot, IE gets very confused about the placement of all the boxes, and completely fucks up the rendering... not to mention it eats all available memory up and won't let me open another browser window until I've closed the Slashdot window. This happens with IE 5.5 & 6 on Windows 98 SE.
-- Help Digitise the Public Domain at DP.
I work at a fairly large company with a bunch of Solaris workstations (for engineering) and MS-Windows on all the other desktops. I've found that people that work with Unix, be they admins or end users tend to "grok" and have no fear of using Open Source tools when appropriate.
I recently transitioned to a position where I now work with the NT admins. They're actually pretty good people, but Open Source is foreign to them. I tend to look for an open source solution first. They see what MS offfers, then go from there.
Anyway, I've started talking to one of the more savy admins about the benefits of Python as a scripting language. He's pretty excited and sees the huge benefits of it compared to VB and Winbatch.. (pretty easy sell actually).
Anyway, my point is, educating the decision makers in the trenches can help your cause.
It might not get Linux/Open Source on all the desktops, but get it in the mind of the power users and admins and you might be surprised how it spreads,