Moving from Linux to Windows Desktop?

slyall asks: "I work in the Network/System Admin team for an ISP. Our firm was recently bought by another company that has mandated that my team's desktops be switched over from Linux to Windows XP in the next few weeks. Some of us are have used Linux almost exclusively and going to Windows is a big change. Can people suggest any tips, books or websites to help Linux people shoved into the Windows world (especially those running lots of Linux and Cisco boxes)? We've all got years of experience on Linux but running Windows day to day is a big challenge. We don't yet know if the company will provide us with tools such as Cygwin or Windows Services for UNIX but we won't be allowed to install random programs and may not have admin access. We're not happy with the change but we're unable to stop it. What we are hoping to do is reduce the performance hit that the changeover is going to cause." This is probably one of those situations where a LiveCD-based distribution, for use in an emergency, might help.

Comments

Oh man...

[Anonymous Coward]

Some of us are have used Linux almost exclusively and going to Windows is a big change.

Buddy, you cannot even imagine how much of an understatement that is. In time you will learn.

Quit.

[JamesP]

No, really. If they're obligating you to change it's because they're morons and don't deserve having you as an employee...

Re:Quit.

[desau]

That was exactly going to be my recommendation. At a previous employment, I was faced with a very similar situation. It took me a few days but I came to the decision that I would not continue to work in such an environment. The next day I told my manager that if I was forced to use an OS which limits my abilities as an employee, I would no longer continue my position. He was surprised and amazed, but took it seriously -- my coworkers and I were allowed to keep our environments.

I eventually left for other reasons. Quitting is always an option. It probably won't net you the same outcome, but I would never stay at such a blinded company.

Re:Quit.

[10101001 10101001]

No, don't quit. Do what any other good capitalist would do in a situation where you believe there's going to be a lot of loss do to disefficiencies, try to bleed money out of the company. No need to quit when you can just drag it out for months or years. Maybe they'll realize what a huge mistake a sudden switch is.

PS: I haven't a clue what the company all does, so maybe several of the desktop machines could be converted over without much retraining. I doubt there's any reason to switch though unless there's problems (or if this were Windows, an upgrade cycle). Any sort of switchover is bound to have problems and breed resentment with "loyalists". And maybe in the end, the company will be better off with Windows (anything's possible).

Re:Quit.

[Gyler St. James]

Don't listen to him. He just wants your job before it's shipped overseas. :D BTW, when you quit, where can I send my resume?

Re:Quit.

[Anonymous Coward]

No, really. If they're obligating you to change it's because they're morons and don't deserve having you as an employee...

I couldn't have said it better myself. In this economy there's plenty of opportunities for programmers who tell management to fuck off over important issues like which OS you can use.

Oh wait...

Re:Quit.

[sporty]

Everything isn't black or white like that. He's asking advice for making the transition, so you have to assume either he can't quit or he wont' quit. Why he can't, may be family finances or contract. He may not want to due to loyalty to the company, and this is just a snag in the relationship.

Re:Quit.

[Otter]

And while you're looking for a new job, along with desau and James, be sure to complain here incessantly about how those damn Indians are stealing all our jobs.

Honestly, where are you guys posting from, 1998? I'm starting a new job next week and less than thrilled about having to give up my MacOS desktop and use Windows -- but I'll be showing up to work nonetheless.

Re:Quit.

[sweetooth]

There's a huge differance between taking a new job that is differant from what you are used to and being forced to change by new managment. Not only that, but they aren't sure they are going to have admin privileges on thier own boxes and they are supposed to be Net/Sys Admins? I'd leave, I'm not even sure I'd give em two weeks with that kinda of brain dead mentality.

Re:Quit.

[SpaceLifeForm]

My first thought exactly.

It's a shame that MS has so much money that they can get away with this crap.

Anyway, to address your question...
Knoppix, a separate Linux server (hidden if need be), and Putty.

Don't lose your tools.

Re:Quit.

[Otter]

I'm not saying this isn't stupid. (It probably is, although obviously I don't know the details.)

Nonetheless, declaring that this is something worth quitting your job over strikes me as incompatible with unending crying about the job market. I remember a few years ago when everyone here thought you should quit if your boss insisted on documents in .doc format instead of .rtf. I remember it every time I now read about the horrors of outsourcing.

Re:Quit.

[Mr. Darl McBride]

You don't need to admin your desktop in order to admin the ISP.

Keep in mind that there's a good chance that there's a reason behind what they're doing. The ISP who bought them may have an existing suite of software they want in place to run the ISP, and it may be Windows-based. We don't know both sides of the story here.

It may also be a labor issue. Point-and-click Windows admins are a dime a dozen. Unix folks are more expensive. Granted, the average Unix admin can run rings around the average Windows admin productivity-wise, but that's only guaranteed if managed by someone who understands Unix as well. The new management may be Windows-only.

Re:Quit.

[MadAhab]

The fact that the takeover dudes are mandating changes without thinking about the needs of their workers, that they are removing their ability to install software, is a damn good sign they are being take over by clueless fucks. Sure, the company was worth buying, but obviously they don't know what they're doing if they use linux. Yeah, right.

Don't quit until you find a new job, but look now. This company is going to die a slow death if this is how they manage things.

Re:Quit.

[Anonymous Coward]

"There's a huge differance between taking a new job that is differant from what you are used to and being forced to change by new managment."

I don't see any difference. Management suckyness is preserved (isn't that one of the laws of thermodynamics).

Re:Quit.

[innosent]

For large companies, the first statement is absolutely true. Sarbanes-Oxley comes to mind. If the company is publicly traded, document retention policies need to be strictly enforced, and allowing even administrative personnel to modify or delete files becomes a huge liability. The law sucks, but denying you administrative access to your machine could save you $20 million and/or 20 years in prison. Deal with it.

If you are trying to find a way to maintain productivity levels of experienced Unix staff on Windows, forget it, it is impossible. Anyone that types over 10wpm will be able to do more with a Unix system, since experienced Unix people tend to prefer CLI to GUI, and you can't click that fast. As for books to read, the UI isn't your problem, it's the difference in opinion on Administration. You would really have to know what systems are in place (Active Directory being a major one), how administrative tasks are divided, and what tasks will need to be done by your people on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. You most likely don't need to know everything, and what you do largely depends on what the company expects from you. Unix is not just an operating system, it's a business model, and if the new company doesn't fit that model, you probably aren't in a position to change that. In other words, you probably don't need a book/training on Windows, you need a book/training on your new employer, which hopefully will be provided to you when your department is absorbed. There is really no point in studying something that you don't know you will use.

Re:Quit.

[gangien]

Well I'm glad that I'll be competing with people who will quit their jobs over forced usage of a particular OS in a short while :).

Re:Quit.

[BillyBlaze]

Nonetheless, declaring that this is something worth quitting your job over strikes me as incompatible with unending crying about the job market.

There's more than one person here, so pointing out each instance where their opinions differ isn't really necessary.

Re:Quit.

[Anonymous Coward]

Honestly, where are you guys posting from, 1998? I'm starting a new job next week and less than thrilled about having to give up my MacOS desktop and use Windows -- but I'll be showing up to work nonetheless.

No, no, no.... don't let it be an employer's market -- show some balls and some dignity. (Not the parent poster, specifically, but all of you.)

Hell, I just took on a 2nd part-time job for the extra money (nets $15k/yr), while retaining a my $52k/yr full-time gig, even though I don't need the cash at all. Sure, they're both telecommuting jobs, but I dictate my employment conditions. My point? Jobs are obviously to be found if you're qualified.

I'm a well-rounded Unix admin, and while I might not be expendable, I don't think I'm irreplaceable, either. Nor am I particularly ambitious or lucky. I'm a good guy with a good work ethic -- if there's mutual respect between my employer and I.

I was fired from my previous job for "insubordination". After a merger I voiced my opinion on the internal blog that management sucked ass (said a bit more tactfully... though not by much), and how much it was effecting morale. Rather than own up and say it was because I pissed in his cornflakes that day (after all, this is an "at will" state -- they could have fired me for wearing bluejeans), the CEO decided to toss me because I refused to participate in the annual Dilbertesque "performance evaluation" that was given months before. The ironic part was, after said evaluation period, I was awarded the company's "Team Player" award (or some such rubbish).

I knew the risk I was taking, and I stood my ground. Hell, they offered me 2 weeks' severance pay (whoo. hoo.) if I signed away my right to sue and discuss the terms of my termination with anyone. I told them to shove that as well. And while I did land a job in a month's time, I was financially over-extended at the time, so I ended up filing for bankruptcy a year later due to falling behind.

Trust me, you can survive anything. Don't let the fear of losing a few Almighty Dollars control your life -- that's why the corporations have the upper hand on most of us. I had a wife and 2 kids when I made my stand, and my wife supported me fully, knowing there may be a rough ride ahead.

You have to decide when to pick your battles. If this is one of those times, then make your stand. You may earn some respect by your new bosses or your fellow workers -- but more importantly, you'll respect yourself at the end of the day, regardless of whether or not you go home with a pink slip.

Re:Quit.

[jtheory]

Quitting is always an option. It probably won't net you the same outcome, but I would never stay at such a blinded company.

It probably won't net you the same *income*, either.

Personally, I would advice against toughing it out for now (but start looking for another job in the meantime). For now, start making lists. Try to build up some valid numbers on what it will cost you and your group to switch over to locked-down Windows computers. Tally up the software that you use constantly (including your shell!) that either has no analog or only a poor substitute in the new environment. Discuss your development processes (now's the time to document, if you haven't), and how they will suffer, and what you will be losing.

Once you've built your case, present it, give your strong recommendation, and wait a while. Don't bitch about the conversion, etc. (or they'll think you're perfectly capable of switching, but you're a whiner), just make sure they know you're concerned about the costs for sensible reasons.

Chances are, they want you to use their standardized XP image because they want to manage everyone's anti-virus software centrally, ease trouble-shooting work for their sys admins, etc.. Maybe you need to firewall off your network segment to keep them happy, and sign a paper guaranteeing that you won't need their help to support your machines. :)

You might gain some sort of an exemption for your group from the corporate standards... though often sense does NOT prevail, and you'll have to bail eventually.

Good luck. [Apologies if this post is confused... I should be sleeping]

Re:Quit.

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering the jbo market we're in, I doubt quitting is a viable option for him.

As much as I dislike Windows in general, I wouldn't mind having to use Windows 2000 in his situation. But WindowsXP?!

Most large corporations not only don't require WindowsXP - but outright forbid it from being installed on the network (my company, for example). Besides, I tried WindowsXP Pro at home for awhile and found that it was terribly unreliable. On two different systems, I encountered explorer.exe (as in the file manager, not the web browser) crashes dozens of times per day.

I need a Windows machine around for gaming, so I wiped XP and went back to Windows 2000 Pro, which I have found to be the most reliable OS Microsoft has ever released. Not that it's saying a lot . . .

Re:Quit.

[Anonymous Coward]

What else should you quit over?

New color painted on the hallways? Replacing office chairs with ones you don't like as much? Being forced to use a telephone system that you don't want to have to use? Being forced to carry a Verizon pager instead of an MCI one?

Jesus, people.. JUst be glad we're employed.

Re:Quit.

[4of12]

Not only that, but they aren't sure they are going to have admin privileges on thier own boxes and they are supposed to be Net/Sys Admins?

There are good reasons for giving people vanilla-flavored, locked-down Windows boxes because support techs are easier/cheaper to find and the support costs are as lower than a Windows plus something else environment.

And that works fine if your corporation's needs are largely met by beancounters, managers and secretaries.

But any company that relies on code developers and IT literate people for any part of its bread and butter should know to

• keep those developers happy,
• give them whatever they want as long as they produce and the cost is reasonable.

Nothing worse than some heavy-handed policy run amok.

I run on Linux, am familiar with it, like it and am happy with it. My experiences trying to develop on Windows have been, uh, mixed. I don't like it. That's just me, though.

OTOH, if I were managing a group of developers and one of them wanted to develop on Windows (a guy in our group learned his craft in a Windows IDE), I'd let them. (Of course, I'd insist on things like ISO compliant C++ instead of Windows-compliant C++, etc., but those issues of standards would be imposed across the board, on people who want to use MacOS X or OpenBSD. The OS, the editor, the compiler should be irrelevant.

Let your people use what works for them and they'll work for you.

Re:Quit.

[unitron]

It isn't that the desktop change is worth quitting over, it's that it indicates a particular mindset on the part of the new overlords. In other words, things are only going to go downhill from here, the handwriting's on the wall, and it's resume dusting off time. I'm sure the new company will survive just fine, but working for them is going to be a guided tour of hell.

hahaha!

[yorgasor]

You're the Net/Sys Admins and you won't even have admin access to your own boxes?! Come on, I know the job market is bad, but please, have some dignity.

Re:hahaha!

[spooky_nerd]

Admin access is easy to get in most places. I work in Desktop Support at a large company, so I have admin access to most systems. Just do this: 1. Call the help desk because you want to make some small system change that requires admin rights. 2. When the desktop support guy comes over mention how easy it would be for you to make the change yourself, if you just had admin rights. 3. Repeat as necessary. If you aren't a jerk, and the desktop support guy thinks you have a clue about what you're doing, that person will likely just give you admin rights.

Re:hahaha!

[KyleCordes]

Been there, done that. There is certainly no need to be a jerk about it, nor to even mention how much easier it would be if you had admin rights on your own box. After the Nth time of coming over to your machine, someone sees the light.

It's really just a financial decision - it's too expensive to keep paying an IT guy to spend many minutes on something a developer could do in 1 minute, and way too expensive to pay the developer to sit idle from time to time waiting for someone else to come make some config change, etc.

Re:hahaha!

[damiam]

Admin access is much easier than that. No box to which you have physical access is secure. The offline NT/2K/XP password editor is a good example.

My Book Recommendation

[Anonymous Coward]

I recommend this excellent title.

Think of it as a "howto" for your specific needs.

It actually contains some excellent humor, espescially considering the subject matter.

*posted anonymously for obvious reasons*

Re:My Book Recommendation

[�berhund]

The "Customers who bought this book also bought:" section is interesting. Plenty of interest there.

Death, death, death, baked beans, and death. (To paraphrase Monty Python.)

That exact phrase (this version of it) pops into my head every now and then. I don't know why.

Really, I don't need counseling.

Re:My Book Recommendation

[Gressil]

I tried to get this out of the library, the librarian told me they used to have loads of copies but people never bring them back.

All you need...

[Red Pointy Tail]

...is this book.

But don't worry, I shall be praying for you as well!

Re:All you need...

[DShard]

screw that, prepare for the end with this.

Re:All you need...

[Gleng]

Maybe this would help in this terrible situation fnord.

Windows Boxes Make Okay X-Terminals

[Endive4Ever]

Just get the suits to spring for a fresh new copy of Hummingbird Exceed for each desktop. Stuff a Linux box with reasonable power under somebody's desk or in the server room.

You can cope with Windows if you treat it like a big semi-dumb terminal. It's a damned powerful terminal, and pretty stable if that's all you use it for, plus whatever desktop software they shovel at you.

Re:Windows Boxes Make Okay X-Terminals

[pruneau]

Humming what crap ?

Nah, VNC rulez !

Re:Windows Boxes Make Okay X-Terminals

[Anonymous Coward]

Or if they won't foot the licensing bill, you could skirt around it with WeirdX or the venerable VNC, both of which have web gateways.

Ahem, read the post, Cliff...

[bhtooefr]

...before editorializing. Click the install link - it goes to the Knoppix page. I know that it's not installing, but it's the suits you need to talk to.

All you need

[Piquan]

You can find what you need at monster.com.

Re:All you need

[straybullets]

Wow .. you realise that joke is already in the story, don't you ? If it's funny twice i'll third it :

Oh it is so sad this situation you are in, all you need is http://monster.com>here.

Re:All you need

[Piquan]

Wow .. you realise that joke is already in the story, don't you?

Nope, didn't check the links. Apparently, the mods didn't either. Welcome to slashdot.

Re:All you need

[mabhatter654]

Actually use the "Tech Jobs" link to your left!
Dice.com seems to have a better selection of highly specific IT jobs as opposed to Monster's WinAdmin generics.

Tips...

[Anaxagor]

#1: Learn to love the hourglass icon, 'cos you're going to be seeing a lot of it from now on.

#2: Get used to extension-based file typing, and remember that not everything ending in .scr is a screensaver.

#3: Develop a healthy sense of paranoia - they are out to get you, especially the ones that send e-mail with subjects like "Hello"

#4: Give thanks for the guys who develop Win32 ports of Perl, Python, Apache etc because they are the thin geek line that stands between you and Visual Basic, Windows Scripting Host and (ugh) Internet Information Services.

#5: Get hold of Mozilla, Evolution, and OpenOffice. Man cannot live on IE, Outlook and Office alone.

#6: Head on over to PacketStorm and stock up on some local admin exploits and the excellent Cain&Abel so you can take back the rights these no-good dirt-farming MCSE's are going to try to take away from you.

That should get you started.

Re:Tips...

[Anonymous Coward]

#5: Get hold of Mozilla, Evolution, and OpenOffice. Man cannot live on IE, Outlook and Office alone.

Evolution has been ported to Windows?

Re:Tips...

[Anaxagor]

Sorry, my mistake.

Evolution is my Linux-based solution to e-mail in a Microsoft environment.

Pegasus is my Win32-based solution to e-mail in a Microsoft environment.

I flit between so many environments it's not funny. Most days I don't know my dir from my ls -al

Re:Tips...

[joelt49]

One more tip -- you have to shut down your computer every night -- you're lucky to get "crazy uptimes" of 3-6 months in Windows.

Note to mods: This isn't flamebate, it's supposed to be funny.

Re:Tips...

[ogre57]

Requiring admins to use XP and then not letting them have admin on their own boxes .. could be ignrance, could be insanity, could be you are being set up as scapegoats for when, not if, things fall apart. Expect y'all already have, update your resumes, immediately start looking for another job.

If possible set up a Linux box with plenty of ram on which you do have root as a vnc server. Insist the XP boxes have a vnc client such as tightvnc and a terminal client such as putty. Use the XP box as essentially an expensive dumb terminal to a vnc session, with the terminal as a backup in case of a problem. Do all of your email, web, etc on the server via vnc.

I set up our development teams this way. Productivity increase was such that several managers have since had me to help set up their teams the same way.

Re:Tips...

[ogre57]

you have to shut down your computer every night

Well, not really. Most of the folks around me have developed the habit of reboot when they arrive, reboot again when they get back from lunch. Some don't; several times a day I hear 'unkind words', and soon after the startup sound.

(Not trying to be funny, not intended as flamebait, just how it is.)

Re:Tips...

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget the first rule of Windows...

#0: If it's acting strange for some reason, reboot. It fixes whatever was going wrong 90% of the time...

Re:Tips...

[Anonymous Coward]

Haha, that sounds like me. My machine is Red Hat 9 and I'm completely used to bash, so whenever my family needs a problem fixed I wind up typing ls and ifconfig in a DOS prompt.

Re:Tips...

[redog]

On the contrary,
#1: get commet cursor, call and complain to the "admins" that your computer is crap slow.

#2: make a mess install as much spyware as possible, spybot is evil and you want to show them how well windows makes use of thier network.

#3: Open every email every attachment make sure all the script extentions are enabled in outlook, demand the newest version of Outlook the day it comes out, make sure you get a copy of MS Office 2k and workperfect2k2. Unload any virus scanners claiming they use too much memory you need the recources.

#4: Install Visual Basic, WSH, and IIS.

#5: IE4

#6: Stock up on some local and remote admin exploits so you can help other users enjoy the same preformance "enhanced" workstation as you.

#7: install every app you can get a key for then call MS and insist on a company audit. Insist that the CIO or Network Admin know's how much it saves by not buying CAL's, call the BBB and tell them about the audit and how the companys illigal theft of software gave it enough leverage to buyout legitimate companys get famous|fired.

P.S.: Weatherbug, Webshots, realplayer, gator.

Re:Tips...

[damiam]

Better than local admin exploits is the NT password editor. Assuming you have physical access, no box is secure.

Re:Tips...

[Frizzle Fry]

I think you missed the part where he said that they can't run as admin or install software.

Re:Tips...

[erlenic]

I think you missed the part where he said #6: Stock up on some local and remote admin exploits so you can help other users enjoy the same preformance "enhanced" workstation as you.

Re:Tips...

[Dunkelzahn]

I rarely reboot my Windows XP PC (rarely as opposed to the never of my Linux workstation and my AIX server), which is a marked improvement of the above, which held true with Windows 98.

Windows Tools

[JLester]

I haven't made a change from Linux to Windows, but here is what I use to admin all our linux boxes and network equipment:

• SSH for Windows - works great for terminal access and secure file transfers.
• Teraterm - network device access via either telnet or serial port. There is an SSH add-on, but I prefer the "real" SSH client above.
• TightVNC - for your Windows boxes
• Superscan - great port scanner and all around TCP/IP utility
• Cygwin - for all your real *nix shell and utility needs

Those are the ones I use most of the time. I have them on my main computer at work, my home computer, and the laptop I keep in my work van.

Jason

Re:Windows Tools

[DShard]

check out putty before you pay for ssh access.

Re:Windows Tools

[duck 'o death]

putty link.

Re:Windows Tools

[revmoo]

This is the first on-topic post of the thread, and it's modded off-topic?

Someone fix this please.

Re:Windows Tools

[Khazunga]

Offtopic? Moderators on crack again.

Re:Windows Tools

[ReelOddeeo]

Moderators on crack again.

Don't you mean still?

Try asking some real questions

[orthogonal]

I work in the Network/System Admin team for an ISP. Our firm was recently bought by another company that has mandated that my team's desktops be switched over from Linux to Windows XP in the next few weeks.... We don't yet know if the company will provide us with tools such as Cygwin or Windows Services for UNIX but we won't be allowed to install random programs and may not have admin access.

Try installing this program: "Boss, I'm a professional. So is everybody else on the team. We've all been hired to do a job, a job that requires professional judgement and professional tools. (God know you tell us we're professionals using our judgment when it justifies denying us overtime.) Nevertheless, you're paying us good money to get a job done.

"But now you've decide after shelling out for our experience and our judgment, you're going to ignore it, and actually deny us the tools we tell you we require to perform our work at the level of quality you've come to expect.

"We know our jobs. We know the tools we need. We know how to procure and maintain our tools, so there's limit hidden costs here. So why the political decision to hamstring us?

"Boss, this is really confusing: is the company's goal to get the job done, or is it to produce memos detailing the how much micro-management it's possible to cram down people's throats before they become completely dispirited, unmotivated drones useless to themselves and their company?

"Or is that the point: to get us to quit so the company doesn't have to cop to down-sizing us?"

Leave

[Kris_J]

Arbitrary changes like this point to serious management problems or directors with questionable motives. If you can't stop the change, start looking for work somewhere that appreciates the skills that you have.

Re:Leave

[frAme57]

Yeah, what he said!

But seriously, I admire your efforts to adapt to the changes the new owners want to impose on you. I do hope you find a way to get your job done and that you can continue in your job without undue restrictions.

But think long and hard about this new company. Will your work with them help take your career in the direction you want, or will you forever be pigeon-holed in the company as "one of those lunix freaks from that company we bought a while ago"? What other changes will they bring to your workplace?

If you can't see yourself working happily for them in five or even two years, start looking now. Take the time to put together a nice, tight resume; maybe even read up on current job-related news, refresh your interviewing techniques, maybe even read a bit about management skills, and start making contacts - all the time keeping your poker face on at work.

It is much easier to find a job while you have a job. Its a stronger bargaining position for you and it is proof to the interviwer that you are employable.

One word:

[El]

Lobotomy. Yeah, you don't need one to move from Linux to Windows... but it helps.

Re:One word:

[unitron]

First word I thought of was hemlock.

My tips/software

[kcb93x]

Get yourself some free modification utilities, and etc.

Also, I don't know what kind of access you guys will have, but this is assuming you're in fair control of your systems:

Some that I use:

ZoneAlarm (Firewall) http://www.zonealarm.com
Get the free version - does enough if you don't want parts of XP phoning home, or have trouble with LAN virii. I also use it when setting up a new machine, especially when directly connected to the 'Net. Stops most viruses from getting in, especially Blaster and the like.

FreshDownload (Download Manager) http://www.freshdevices.com
You have to register - but it's free. Haven't sold my email yet or anything, Resumable downloads etc...only one I've found not to be spy-ware ad-ware riddled.

FreshUi (Tweaking Utility) http://www.freshdevices.com
Same as FreshDownload, useful for changing those buried settings for various things, mostly interface based stuff, but some under-the-hood stuff too.

XP Powertoys (Miscellaneous) http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/p owertoys.asp
Desktop Manager - Gives you 4 desktops (I know, not as many, but still works)
Alt-Tab Replacement - Gives a screenshot of window Alt-Tabbing to...useful when have multiple unsaved docs open, etc...
TweakUI - Same as FreshUi, but different options, these two combined give you alot of different options.
OpenCommandWindowHere - right-click on folder option to open command prompt window at that folder...useful for deep or complicated folder names.

Azureus - Java BitTorrent client (allows all running in one app, shrink to tray icon)

Other programs abound, including Mozilla and OpenOffice if you need that kind of stuff.

If you're stumped on something, hit up the 'help' section...it oftentimes will actually help.

Anyone who used DOS and liked the command /? option for all info...it's back in XP, full-blast.

General Tips:
Tab-completion is an option in TweakUI...ENABLE IT!

That's all I have time for right now...email me if need more tips...

My advice to you...

[n9hmg]

...is to start drinking heavily.
You should listen to me, I was pre-med!
I thought I was pre-law.
Pre-med, pre-law, what's the difference?

Don't underestimate cygwin...

[(H)elix1]

One of the things that amazed me was cywin has a full xserver! It does not come as a 'default' install, but if you expand out the install options, you can type startx and away you go. This has saved my but many a time.... There is far more than just grep, tar, and tail in there if you poke about in the install options.

Re:Don't underestimate cygwin...

[n9hmg]

Indeed. I've never been allowed a Linux desktop since 1996, and cygwin's been my salvation. "cygstart" is just so much nicer than double-clicking.

Recommendations....

[metacosm]

You will see cygwin (which others will recommend) totally left out of the recommendations. That is because I find it slow and oversized and I am not a huge fan of it. #1. Get FlashDesktops, you have to pay for it, but it is utterly wonderful. Multiple desktops on windows as fast as Xwindows. http://flashdesktops.com/ #2. Get UxUtils, NATIVE ports of lots of great unix apps. http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/ #3. Get The Bat!, it is a wonderful email client, fast, simple, can be totally driven by keyboard. http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/ #4. Get FireFox, it is a wonderful browser on linux AND windows (I actually prefer the windows version). http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ #5. Get gVim, vim is great on linux, great on windows too! http://www.vim.org/ #6. Get OpenOffice, great on both platforms. http://www.openoffice.org/ #7. Get WinSCP, a wonderful SCP/SFTP client for windows. http://winscp.sourceforge.net/eng/ #8. Get Putty (and friends), wonderful ssh client and other utils. http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ #9. Get everything from sysinternals, a ton of wonderful stuff here, too much to mention, but will let you track every file access, every registry write, every debugging message. Look around, it gives you control of your box like you expect on a *nix. Ton of great command line tools too. http://www.sysinternals.com/ #10. ClearTweak, a tool to let you customize your ClearType settings (a must for LCDs). http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/ #11. Daemon Tools, lets you mount up to 4 ISO's as drives, and can emulate security protection. http://www.daemon-tools.cc/portal/portal.php #12. Memstat XP, lets you monitor memory usage in tray, small and simple. http://memstat.sourceforge.net/ #13. NetMeter, lets you monitor network usage in the tray, small and simple. http://readerror.gmxhome.de/ #14. TrayMeter, lets you monitor cpu usage in the tray, small and simple. http://www.thmundt.com/traymeter/ #15. TweakUI, get control over some things you might want (like hover-to-focus, autologin, other). http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/p owertoys.asp #16. WinRoll, lets you roll up windows just like in lots of windows managers on linux. http://www.palma.com.au/winroll/ #17. XP Log Reader, lets you watch the XP firewall logs. http://www.winxpcentral.com/windowsxp/fwlog.php #18. WinRAR, unzip anything you want, supports tar.gz, zip, rar, arc, and much more. http://www.rarlab.com/ #19. Beyond Compare, best tool for comparing directories or files, great for syncing backups. http://www.scootersoftware.com/ #20. Nero, the best CD writer for windows. http://www.nero.com/us/index.html #21. WinDVD, watch movies! http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/Home.jsp #22. WinImage, create images from CDs, very easy, very clean. http://www.winimage.com/

Re:Recommendations....

[Anonymous Coward]

Umm, hey retard: He specifically said he wasn't going to be able to install random programs - then you go and list 50 random programs to install. Comprehend much?

Better yet....Quit, then Compete

[ChopsMIDI]

Get a bunch of your coworkers (if there are enoiugh of you) to quit the company and start one together, competing directly with your previous employer.

Prove that OSS is better ecomonically for your clients, as well as put those ill-informed bastards that forced Windows out of business. It should be a pretty big hit to your previous employer if a good chunk of you leave.

Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but hey, it could happen.

Why seek to reduce the performance hit?

[Crutcher]

You use linux because it works better for you, right? Why do you want to sheild management from this reality? Let them see your frustration, and keep making the case "this used to work, why is this so hard?".

Remember, managment doesn't like windows, they like money.

Why people are so willing to take the hit for other people, I'll never understand.

Re:Why seek to reduce the performance hit?

[mrscott]

If management has truly made up their mind on this issue, whining about it isn't probably the best option. If, after using Windows for some time, he thinks it's a step backwards (and he has REALLY given it a shot), he should write up a justification for switching back to Linux for management that includes the impact of the switch. If he screws around, whines all the time and then says "I want my Linux back", he's not going to have any credibility.

Re:Why seek to reduce the performance hit?

[AKnightCowboy]

Let them see your frustration, and keep making the case "this used to work, why is this so hard?".

That is a BAD idea. They see their secretary.. err sorry, Administrative Assistant, zooming through a word document and creating powerpoint presentations and think she is a whiz. She also makes a third of what you do.. what do you think they're thinking? "Geez, we paid all this money for these supposedly smart geeks, but they can't even find their way around Windows like our low paid secretary can. They must be retarded."

Re:Why seek to reduce the performance hit?

[einTier]

Indeed, you need to learn, and learn fast. Believe me, they are just waiting to replace you, like they replaced all the UNIX machines.

I don't agree with their decision, but I am pretty good at interfacing with managers. I can tell you how they are thinking (if they are so big as to be able to buy out other competitiors). Their first thought is that all branches of the company should use the same technology. This allows for a centralized support staff, and it allows for easy transitions from one branch to another. It's also easier to order equipment and hire personnel when everything is standard across the board.

Please understand, this doesn't mean it's the best solution for all branches, but it is the best solution from the viewpoint of upper management, and they are the ones calling the shots. It can be good to have each division handling their own affairs and deciding which technology is best, but in my experience, this requires an amazing amount of competence and integrity out of your lower level managers, which is quite difficult to find.

Now that they have switched your company over to Windows, you are now a liability. You are paid for your technical expertise, which is no longer needed. If you drag your feet and show that you are not proficient in Windows as well, you become an even bigger liability. At some point, they will ask themselves if it's worth paying to train a UNIX sysadmin to work with the Windows system, especially when they apparently don't want to. It would be cheaper and easier for them to hire Windows sysadmins, and you would probably be happier continuing your work with UNIX elsewhere. At least, that's how they'll justify your firing.

If they've already switched another shop over and experienced these problems, then you may already have a target on your head. Just be thankful that it's fairly hard to fire employees and hire new ones in their place. So, they may just be waiting for you to trip up and show your incompetence and unwillingness to change as a reason for your dismissal.

If you like, after you've adapted to the transition, you can write a document that shows the impact cost of switching over, and possibly this may sway their decisions the next time they take over a UNIX shop. If you want your desktop switched back to UNIX, you're also going to have to show that the switch back over to UNIX isn't going to cost them any money now (new hardware and software) or the future (do your own tech support) AND how it will directly benefit the company as a whole -- this means "how will it make us money" in business talk. Remember that everything in business ultimately boils down to cost and profit.

Best of luck.

Re:Why seek to reduce the performance hit?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice, thoughtful response. My favorite of the thread!

Despite reading slashdot for a while I continued to be amazed at the kneejerk reactions to posted queries, especially when Microsoft is involved. Why this continues to amaze me I don't know. Is there a script generating these replies?

Suppose the situation had been reversed. Suppose the guy had used Microsoft extensively, and his compnay was bought out by an ISP that was based entirely in Unix. I strongly suspect that the responses would not be anywhere near the same. Instead, you'd see a lot of "adapt to the better environment!" posts.

From the paragraph blurb posted I'm not going to pretend to understand the operational environment of his previous or current company, nor the criteria involved in making the management decision made. One option may be that management are completely unreasonable bastards hellbent on driving the company to the ground with idiotic decisions. Another more plausible option is that there is some sort of logical basis in making their decisions such that they think it's in the company's best interest. See the points raised in the post above.

If they're unreasonable bastards then by all means, start polishing your resume. If you're not interested in working in a Microsoft environment (totally valid!) then by all means, start polishing your resume. If you want to learn to adapt your skill sets (which is what I think you were after, based on the post you made, which wasn't about how to get your company to change their mind or find a new job) then enjoy the dozen or so thoughtful responses that address that question, and ignore the "get a new job!" rants.

Incidentally, I've been in a situation before where one individual's insistence on using their prefered OS (Linux, in this case) caused myriads of problems. I'm sure it worked great for him. However, it:

a) Added to support costs.
b) Added to development costs (as we were developing things that had to be tested in a Windows environment).
c) Added to hardware and software costs (since, given the need to test in a Microsoft environment, he added the requirement for a second machine).
d) And just seemed to add to the complexity of things.

When we started shifting toward .NET development things got increasingly worse and, unhappy in the environment, he left. I'm sure it's for the best. He obviously didn't want to develop in a Microsoft-based environment, there are jobs where it's not required, so finding something he preferred was the best choice.

But realize your impact on others. The company as a whole can loser hours and dollars overall, if one particular group is more efficient. Note also that this rebuttal is directed toward some of the commenters on this question, and not the asker of the question him/herself.

Re:Recommendations.... (better format)

[metacosm]

You will see cygwin (which others will recommend) totally left out of the recommendations. That is because I find it slow and oversized and I am not a huge fan of it.

• #1. Get FlashDesktops, you have to pay for it, but it is utterly wonderful. Multiple desktops on windows as fast as Xwindows.
  http://flashdesktops.com/
• #2. Get UxUtils, NATIVE ports of lots of great unix apps.
  http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/
• #3. Get The Bat!, it is a wonderful email client, fast, simple, can be totally driven by keyboard. http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/
• #4. Get FireFox, it is a wonderful browser on linux AND windows (I actually prefer the windows version). http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
• #5. Get gVim, vim is great on linux, great on windows too! http://www.vim.org/
• #6. Get OpenOffice, great on both platforms. http://www.openoffice.org/
• #7. Get WinSCP, a wonderful SCP/SFTP client for windows. http://winscp.sourceforge.net/eng/
• #8. Get Putty (and friends), wonderful ssh client and other utils. http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/
• #9. Get everything from sysinternals, a ton of wonderful stuff here, too much to mention, but will let you track every file access, every registry write, every debugging message. Look around, it gives you control of your box like you expect on a *nix. Ton of great command line tools too. http://www.sysinternals.com/
• #10. ClearTweak, a tool to let you customize your ClearType settings (a must for LCDs). http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/
• #11. Daemon Tools, lets you mount up to 4 ISO's as drives, and can emulate security protection. http://www.daemon-tools.cc/portal/portal.php
• #12. Memstat XP, lets you monitor memory usage in tray, small and simple. http://memstat.sourceforge.net/
• #13. NetMeter, lets you monitor network usage in the tray, small and simple. http://readerror.gmxhome.de/
• #14. TrayMeter, lets you monitor cpu usage in the tray, small and simple. http://www.thmundt.com/traymeter/
• #15. TweakUI, get control over some things you might want (like hover-to-focus, autologin, other). http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/p owertoys.asp
• #16. WinRoll, lets you roll up windows just like in lots of windows managers on linux. http://www.palma.com.au/winroll/
• #17. XP Log Reader, lets you watch the XP firewall logs. http://www.winxpcentral.com/windowsxp/fwlog.php
• #18. WinRAR, unzip anything you want, supports tar.gz, zip, rar, arc, and much more. http://www.rarlab.com/
• #19. Beyond Compare, best tool for comparing directories or files, great for syncing backups. http://www.scootersoftware.com/
• #20. Nero, the best CD writer for windows. http://www.nero.com/us/index.html
• #21. WinDVD, watch movies! http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/Home.jsp
• #22. WinImage, create images from CDs, very

Windows isn't THAT bad...

[Zapman]

At least with XP. I agree with the previous poster that grabing an Xserver for the desktops is going to be a good thing, but the only other thing you NEED is a good telnet/ssh client. I suggest putty, since it's standalone (no dll's, no supporting files, etc. All it does is update some registry keys with host keys and the like). You can drop it in a temp folder, and just run it.

The other thing is to keep a reasonably up to date knoppix CD lying around. If you can boot off the CDROM drive (and almost no windows shop won't) you've got a reasonable linux client there. If you get creative, you could even start your own version of it with your own private utilities installed and ready to go.

Amongst the trolls..

[E_elven]

Install Blackbox as the WM instead of Explorer! :) www.bb4win.org

Re:Amongst the trolls..

[advocate_one]

Install Blackbox as the WM instead of Explorer! :) www.bb4win.org

wrong... use XPde on your linux and they won't spot the difference...

Network Mgmt from a Windows PC?!?!

[jimpop]

How can you traceroute, ping, dig, whois, host, etc. Honestly, Windows is for users not gurus. Admittidly it's a good desktop, but it by no means is a power OS for administration of networked systems.

Get a new job, better boss, more pay, more respect, etc.

Re:Network Mgmt from a Windows PC?!?!

[Anonymous Coward]

Traceroute and ping are included with Windows. Hell, finger is included too! Other things like whois, dig, etc. can be done on Windows the hardcore way. Put netcat and some RFCs (for reference) on a floppy and send straight protocol commands.

Re:Network Mgmt from a Windows PC?!?!

[AKnightCowboy]

How can you traceroute, ping, dig, whois, host, etc. Honestly, Windows is for users not gurus. Admittidly it's a good desktop, but it by no means is a power OS for administration of networked systems.

Just insist you need a Solaris box to run CiscoWorks 2000 on and then everyone can run Cygwin's XFree86 port. Then run your apps off the Solaris box while exporting your displays to the Windows box. Management sees your using Windows on your desktop, you're using UNIX, everyone is happy. Of course, this could backfire if the management rubs two neurons together and realizes they could just buy a Windows version of CW2000. :-)

Re:Network Mgmt from a Windows PC?!?!

[secolactico]

How can you traceroute, ping, dig, whois, host, etc. Honestly

Are you trolling? I already do all that from a Windows box. So, some of those utils are not part of the default install, easily remedied with a couple of downloads. Heck my old Solaris workstation didn't have traceroute by default.

Get a new job, better boss, more pay, more respect, etc.

Oh, I get it! You are joking. The lack of smiley threw me off.

Re:Network Mgmt from a Windows PC?!?!

[jimpop]

easily remedied with a couple of downloads. Did you miss the part about having limited or no access to install additional software? Whois, Dig, and host are not part of Win2k by default, and afaik they are not part of WinXP either. I suppose if his company is installing Win2K Server on his workstation he might fare better. Still, I don't see it being a very productive move.

Re:Network Mgmt from a Windows PC?!?!

[secolactico]

Did you miss the part about having limited or no access to install additional software? Whois, Dig, and host are not part of Win2k by default, and afaik they are not part of WinXP either.

Poor fellas, and I guess they are stuck doing their word processing using Wordpad, since it's what comes installed by default on Windows.

*They* don't have to install anything if they don't get admin rights (and it's not clear yet wether they'll be denied it). If they need a piece of software installed, they can always ask the IT people to install it, and if it's necessary for their job, I don't see how they can deny it. Yes, it sucks to become a "restricted user" after having been admin, and I would hate for it to happen to me.

Still, I don't see it being a very productive move

Agreed. But I don't see it as counter productive either. Who knows, maybe the new bosses have a valid reason for this move. Not everyone with a suit and tie is a complete moron.

Making the best of the situation?

[ahrenritter]

So I will throw my two bits in, if you truly are network administrators and you won't even have the appropriate permissions to customize your box to be able to comfortably and quickly perform your job, just start looking for another one. It means that someone who does not have the best interests of neither you or your company in mind.

That being said, I am going to hope it isn't quite that bad. I am a developer who works on a Windows XP desktop primarily. I have a Linux box at home and a Linux server that hosts my mail and such. I can get by in Linux and I am very comfortable with a command prompt. I use gVim as my editor, and either cygwin or the even lighter ports of GNU utilities available at unxutils.sourceforge.net (linked directly against msvcrt rather than cygwin). The nice thing about these utilities is that they don't require any installation or anything. Drop them in a directory, optionally add that directory to your path and you are good to go.

Microsoft has some information about this.

[Anonymous Coward]

The best link you could possibly find:

• Simon's Win32 Cheat-Sheet - Written by a Unix fan who has moved to Windows when he started working for Microsoft.

And some software that I use on Windows:

• PuTTY - Probably the best Windows telnet / SSH terminal.
• NMap - yes, there's a Windows version of this port scanning / network security tool
• Windows XP Powertoys - the TweakUI control panel toy is probably the most valuable - it lets you set up X-Window like focus that follows the mouse

Finally, read The Unix-Hater's Handbook.

Re:Microsoft has some information about this.

[iangoldby]

Beware of the X-Window focus option in XP Powertoys.

It is incompatible with some applications, and can lead to hard to diagnose problems. I was very puzzled as to why I could never get the properties window to come up in MS Developer Studio. I eventually came to the conclusion that my installation was hosed. But re-installing didn't help.

It was much later that I discovered it was the X-Windows focus causing the problem. The properties dialog closes as soon as it loses focus, unless it is pinned. But you can't open it to pin it, because when you open it, it immediately doesn't have the focus (unless it happens to appear directly under the pointer) and so closes again before you even see it.

set up a linux box in the corner

[1iar_parad0x]

Set up one or two Linux boxes in a corner that you can putty (ssh) and WinSCP (scp) into. Having a couple of good Linux servers on the network with fairly open access is almost as good as having you're own machine. I'm a programmer, so this may not work for you.

Worse case scenario. Set up a linux box at someones house that you can remotely ssh into. Hopefully, they won't clamp down on the firewall. Not only do you have the luxury of a linux server, but it's outside the corporate network.*

Frankly, I've worked in environments that were all Linux or a mix of dumb Windows terminals and Linux/Unix boxes. With the exception of the occaisional utility (like an OSS IDE) you won't miss much.

*You're sys-admin my not like this for obvious reasons.

Cygwin

[gregRowe]

With cygwin you'll feel closer to home. You can even run xfree86 rootless using cygwin.

You'll have perl, pythong, cron, bash and hundreds (thousands?) of other unix goodies.

It's still windows but cygwin almost makes MS Windows usable.

Re:Cygwin

[Anonymous Coward]

You'll have perl, pythong

Is this a joke?

Re:Cygwin

[AKnightCowboy]

It's still windows but cygwin almost makes MS Windows usable.

So you get the usability of UNIX with the stability of a Windows NT kernel? Wouldn't it be easier to just boot off a Knoppix CD?

Re:Cygwin

[Anonymous Coward]

i thought *I* was the only one that makes that typo!!

Re:Slashbots are hypocrites!!

[Tyreth]

Your spelling and grammar are annoying, but I think I've interpreted the gist of what you are saying.

This story is completely different, and you failed to notice the logical difference. In the cases of Windows switching to Linux, Slasdot "front page" stories which show management evaluating Open Source options and deciding it is superior to proprietry.

In the case of this Ask Slashdot, it is a company that has NOT (as far as we can see) evaluated the benefits of Open Source vs proprietry - and have forced a migration based on a previously existing policy. Not an informed decision. So this 'story' is of an entirely different calibre.

Of course, if a company did use Linux desktops, and then re-evaluated and decided to return to Windows, that would warrant a "front page" story.

Deal with it...a professional would.

[Gyler St. James]

All these people that tell you to quit or try to convince the bosses otherwise aren't giving you sound advice. I am proficient with both Linux variants and Windows. What does that mean? I'm a professional who isn't afraid to learn a new evironment and that I can find more jobs than someone who refuses to learn the other camp's tools and trade. Reality is, you never know when management will ask you to learn something new and you should see that as a challenge.

Now, as for learning Windows, take the good advice of some of the other posts and install, learn, rinse, repeat until you have a better understading of Windows. It wonn't be fun, but it is worth it. Knowledge has always been key to advancement at anything and you should see this as our opportunity grow as a professional and as a person. Griping about it will not help your situation and as the saying goes: "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen".

Re:Deal with it...a professional would.

[Kidbro]

All these people that tell you to quit or try to convince the bosses otherwise aren't giving you sound advice.

I think you've overlooked a some key points. The dude is, according to the post, system administrator at an ISP. There are few positions that require a deeper knowledge of installing and maintaining operating systems and software. Yet, he's not even been given admin access to his own desktop.
The "screw your boss" advice you've seen is not (only) founded on the standard linux fanaticism. It is, at so many levels that I can't even begin to count them all, increddibly stupid to NOT give that kind of person control over his work environment. This is not about operating systems, it's about letting a man do his job, and trusting him to use the skills required to do the job in the first place.

Now, as for learning Windows, take the good advice of some of the other posts and install, learn, rinse, repeat until you have a better understading of Windows.

Something he's forbidden to do. See above.

Re:Deal with it...a professional would.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Deal with it"? He asks about learning to use windows, and the best suggestion so far is "Deal with it"? He is not the only one who wants to learn windows, I was hoping to see some insight here, after all there are many people on slashdot who really loves MS, so somebody should be able to tell what makes it so wonderful.

Personally I feel really bad everyday at work, because I waste a lot of time on windows (when compared to my home computer which runs Linux), and I really don't want to waste all that time. Running Linux at work is not an option, and I wouldn't really want to either, I want to learn windows. Why does learning to use windows have to be so hard?

Re:Deal with it...a professional would.

[Gyler St. James]

Yet, he's not even been given admin access to his own desktop.

I worked at a small ISP before as well and didn't know anything about Irix when I started there, but that was the desktop chosen to run all monitoring tools (even though the servers were Sun boxes). But I learned...and I loved it. I didn't have full access to the machine to do what I wanted with it, but I did have enough access to get to the tools which I needed. Now, he doesn't mention anything like if the new management was planning on switching to Windows for servers as well and he may not be privvy to that knowledge at the time (management likes to do that for some odd reason). Another reason could be that the new managemet has decided to use a different accounting system or whatever for their desktop services. Now, that would mean he *has* to have a Windows machine (maybe they use Office exclusively or switching to it). We simply don't know enough about his situation. If the assumption of Windows for running the reorganized business is valid, there's still nothing preventing him from using a telnet session to manage his servers. It's his workstation that's changed, not the servers he administers.

Honestly, he doesn't give enough information about what's really going on and that's either because he's griping or management didn't give him more info (I think it's the latter). But the advice is still there: learn it. And I don't remember ever seeing an ISP (unless really small) where the only thing they ran were Unices. In my experience, it's always been pretty heterogenous.

As for installing Windows himself as practice, I meant to say on his own time with his own machines. Of course, what we mean to say and what gets typed are two different things. :)

BTW, I loathe running Windows in comparison to Linux, but guess what? My job is a Windows programmer (by choice) for economic reasons, but I've still had projects where I needed to know Linux or some other OS. Better to be armed with a Swiss Army Knife(tm) with a toothpick than with just a toothpick.

Re:Deal with it...a professional would.

[Rudeboy777]

I am proficient with both Linux variants and Windows. What does that mean?

It means you've never heard of Gentoo or Debian?

Information about the ISP in question.

[Anonymous Coward]

Based on the submitter's resume, the ISP he's working for is ihug. And based on a Google search, the buying company is iiNet (confirmed in iiNet's own press release).

Are there any Linux / Unix-based New Zealand ISPs that feel like offering Simon a new job? (Assuming that posting his situation on Slashdot doesn't get him fired first?)

Re:Information about the ISP in question.

[Anaxagor]

...the buying company is iiNet

If they're like every ISP I know, there'll be OSS all over the place, indeed:

# nc www.iinet.net.au 80
HEAD / HTTP/1.0

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 04:09:22 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.26 (Unix) Debian GNU/Linux PHP/4.1.2 mod_perl/1.26
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1

#

If I was you I'd be talking to the guys who look after this stuff, and find out what sort of desktops they have.

Re:Information about the ISP in question.

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows 2k, or Windows XP - depending on how old the machine is. (I confess, I work there).

Windows is the standard desktop operating system. All the development, testing, staging, production servers run linux and OSS (mostly). That goes for most of the internal servers too.

Most (all?) of the technical staff, programmers and developers use putty and their favorite web browser for most of their work. Personally, armed with those and a multi desktop program (like altdesk or multidesk), I can survive pretty well. I only really break from that when I have to stuff around with visio, word, and excel documents (for whatever reason), which is generally when I start swearing at my computer (I'd use OpenOffice, but it's easier to get over those "your word processor ate my document" arguments when you're using the same software as everybody else).

In all fairness, I'd much prefer to use a linux desktop, but after getting used to a windows desktop, I don't mind all that much (and this is from one of those guys that said that he would quit it they tried to make me change).

<flamebait>The rest of the "non technical" company sits quite happilly in their windows desktops, maybe using putty and pine for their email. Throw them on a linux box and most of them would be lost (I realise that you can start looking into training cost vs. liscencing here, but at the end of the day I think it's probably easier to just leave them with something they know). To be perfectly honest though, if I was the administrator of the corporate network, I would much rather have the one SOE for everyone than let this group have this, that group have that, and try to manage it all. Granted, all the linux admins know how to manage their boxes, but then they're outside of your control, and you don't know what's going on. If you start thinking about it in terms of security (and liability), then it starts making sense (not that I like it). And so a policy is formed... </flamebait>

That all said, I'm still trying to decide whether or not to buy a VMWare liscense :P

Re:Information about the ISP in question.

[judd]

You sir, suck.

Yes, you're very clever; no, you're not helpful.

You and this reply should both be modded down.

Re:Information about the ISP in question.

[/dev/trash]

Why? If the poster wanted to remain anonymous, he just needs to not post any identifiable info.

Re:Recommendations.... (better format)

[Anonymous Coward]

Way OTT!

I use one ssh client and one Xwindows.

Run Both

[akpoff]

I work in a very Windows shop but still manage to use OS X. How? The box under my desk is Windows XP Professional with remote desktop enabled. I run my Powerbook in dual screen mode (xinerama mode in X). On the external monitor I run Microsoft's Remote Desktop and on the laptop screen runs OS X. You can get a Linux remote desktop client at rdesktop.org. Bring in a Linux box, install it and connect up. This has worked for me for several years (including back when I used VNC to the Windows box). With this setup you can obey the rules about not installing any unapproved software and still work with your favorite OS. A couple of keys:

1) Stay low profile, solve as many of your own problems as possible. There have always been a few of us running Macs at work. We had one guy who insisted on trying to force MIS to actively support us. He almost wrecked it for all of us before he left.
2) Don't boast or advertise. Just get your work done.

This may not work for you but it's something worth considering before doing anything drastic.

kvm switch and install a linux box under the desk

[Anonymous Coward]

tell em to get fucked, then hit the kvm switch when that walk in. You are the admins, they are the suits, what would they know.

Is it really that hard?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dual Boot!

Just run Linux when nobody from the other company
is around. When they show up, run a program that crashes
your computer (you have to write yourself) then
boot into Windows. They'll definately believe you're running
windows because of the crash.

After doing this a few times, find out how clueful
the people at the other company are. There's a chance
you might get away with running Linux as long as your
screen only looks like the WinXP screen. They
might not notice the difference afterall.

Note, I claim no responsibility on how this information
is used. If someone gets fired as a result of following
this advice, I'm not at fault among other things.

Admin-admins?

[yason]

I work in the Network/System Admin team for an ISP. ... has mandated that my team's desktops be switched over from Linux to Windows XP in the next few weeks. ... we won't be allowed to install random programs ... may not have admin access.

You're on the network/system admin team and you're not going to have root on your boxen? They have admin-administrators then, or what? Usually it takes a huge company to actually have separate departments for IT support/admin and network support/admin.

We're not happy with the change but we're unable to stop it.

Professionals need appropriate tools, not toys. The bosses should be interested in you getting the job done with minimum hassle. Tell them that using Windows is going to cause delays and disrupt you from doing the work they're paying you to do, if that's true for your case.

Deal with it...

[secolactico]

For what is worth, here's my advice: deal with it.

If management mandates that you *have* to use Windows XP (which is Win2k with fluff, and win2k is darn good) and that you *won't* have admin access to your desktop, you'll have to swallow the pill or go away.

I assume you already talked it over with your bosses and failed to convince them to keep the current enviroment, so here's what you should do (assuming you decide not to quit):

1. Make a list of all the applications you need and make sure they have them (ssh, X server, whatever) and make sure they provide them. They are your work tools and without them, you won't be able to do whatever it is they pay you to do.

2. Learn to live with Windows. The quicker you adapt, the easier it will be. There are very little workstation related functions that you can do in Linux and not in Windows. The only difference is that you'll probably have to pay for add-ons, as I'm sure you told your bosses, but, hey, it's their call.

3. Do you really need admin access to your workstation? If so, make your case and present it to them. Do you need to test/install new applications? Do you need to run an application that only runs in admin mode?

4. Be wary of all those advices we are giving you here (yes, including me). For example, setting a rogue Linux box in a corner and working on it. Going around company policy might land you in hot water even if it's harmless.

5. Lighten up. It's not the end of the world. If it really makes you that unconfortable, update your resume and try to land another gig.

Re:Deal with it...

[Spoing]

All good advice. A couple comments...

Over all, the 'Unix way' of doing things should be natural to you now. It is harder to do tasks under Windows using Unix methods, though you should be able to see where gaps are in the default Windows configuration and guess that there are Unix-style tools available to fill those holes. For the moment, try and avoid using those methods. You won't forget them, though...

1. 2. Learn to live with Windows.

The best way to learn something is to force yourself to do it. So, even if you have a Linux box at home consider setting up a Windows system and use that exclusively for a couple months. (In all honesty, I don't do this, though I am moderately annoyed or comfortable at times using any OS...Windows, Linux, Mac....)

1. 3. Do you really need admin access to your workstation? If so, make your case and present it to them. Do you need to test/install new applications? Do you need to run an application that only runs in admin mode?

Root/Administrator access should be a rare situation not the norm.

Also, remember that even on your typical Linux system having root access is not going to mean what it does now in a few years (if not sooner). SE Linux and other changes will change what root should be able to do for many distributions.

You'll forget you're driving Windoze..

[morelife]

SecureCRT
http://www.vandyke.com/

Indispensable window shell program, port redir, and serial terminal too (for jacking into a switch/router console port from your laptop)

Gotta be said...

[p4ul13]

You're asking for advice on /. as to how to switch from Linux to MS Windows?

All together now:
You're new around here aren't you?

=)

Quit or Cry

[pyite]

I suggest quitting or crawling up in the fetal position and crying like a little baby at the foot of your favorite router chassis. In all seriousness, if I was forced to start using Windows to work on the literally thousands of Cisco boxes I do now, quitting would not be too far down on my list of options. Not only is it a real pain in the arse, but such a stupid move by a company reveals a much deeper problem. That problem being that the administration values their agenda (and whatever motives that come along with it) more than getting work done. That's NOT a place you want to work.

Kinda talked yourself into a corner

[Jerf]

Based on the criteria as given, you've kind of talked yourself into a corner. If you're not allowed to install "random software", then most of the people here recommending various random software packages aren't going to help here. If you're thinking that you're not going to get any software support, then you're hosed; twiddling preferences in Windows just isn't going to do anything.

What I would recommend is trying to dig deeper. Why aren't you being allowed to use your preferred environments? Do they need you to run on Outlook? If so, rather then buying everybody a full Office load + all the other Windows crap, buy everybody a copy of Ximian Connector and let everyone run Evolution. If it's Office compatibility, why don't you examine the documents the company is generating and see if they're doing crazy stuff with VBA and ActiveX, or if OpenOffice can cut it. If they want compatibility with other developers, see to what degree they are talking about.

You need to talk their language, which is of course money, and you've got at least a certain degree of leverage in the fact that the company is going to have to buy a lot of software that will not be free. Ximian + OpenOffice is cheaper then a full Windows+Office+Support suite. Most free software is much cheaper and just fine.

Moreover, once you find out why you're making the change, you can probably quantify the hidden costs of the transition... and potentially strategies to defray it, perhaps convincing them to purchase (or, in the case of things like Cygwin, allow) the other software. Personally, for instance, being stuck in the sorry excuse for a Windows desktop I'd lose 10% or 20% productivity off the top, because I've become very proficient with multiple desktops being a single keystroke away. (Yes, there is a Powertool that does this but it doesn't match my usage patterns; I want a "move right" key, not just a "Move to Desktop 2".)

You may find they have legitimate reasons, or you may find that they have delusions. ("We develop in Windows so we want you to apply your Perl skills to our VBA apps."... yeah...) Either way, you'll be better off to talk turkey with them if you get more info. Assuming they've got good reasons, you'll know where to focus on for the software you want to ask for.

Now, please read the following carefully so you know what I'm saying: If you're stonewalled and if you can simply not get more information of this nature, then it is time to start polishing the resume and looking for a new job unless there is some compelling reason not to. Not because they're forcing you to Windows, per se, which with support could eventually be livable (and a job's a job, right?), but because this is a clear and unambiguous sign that they are completely unwilling to support their developers and deal with them as professionals, rather then children who need to be protected from themselves. Now, if you're OK with being treated as children, that's OK, but I'd be surprised; Unix doesn't encourage that attitude. I am not saying that being forced to Windows is a reason to think seriously about leaving; I am saying to think seriously about leaving if the new company doesn't understand how to best utilize developers (which happens to be the same as keeping them happy, for the most part), and to use this issue as a touchstone. If you can't get this basic information at this stage, it's not going to get better, and it's extremely likely to get worse.

Re:Kinda talked yourself into a corner

[darkfox]

If you are able to talk with your bosses AND they agree to let you use Linux if you agree to use the company's choice of application here are two recommandations:

If they really want you to use M$ Office instead of OpenOffice, you can always turn to the Codeweavers Tools.

The other solution is connecting to a Windows Terminal Server from you Linux workstation (using rdesktop). The performance is Ok. You will be able to do all the M$ required job, from your confortable Linux destop

Both solutions are much better than having to revert to a complete M$ desktop.

Try this

[$exyNerdie]

We've all got years of experience on Linux but running Windows day to day is a big challenge

I got a sweet deal for you. My 68 year old grandma has been using Windows XP for a while and she is pretty good at it. She might give you many useful tips and tricks because when she started a year ago on computers, it took her a long 1 week to get comfortable on Windows XP. Anyway, if you want to find out how she did it, just call her (303-607-7527). She loves to talk to people. She is home all day bored. Caveat: She is in Denver and her number might be long distance for you and once she gets started talking, there is no stopping her!

Re:Try this

[Creepy Crawler]

Heh heh heh..

Nice REJECTION number :-)

VMware

[Michael.Forman]

I satisfy my corporate requirement for Microsoft by running it under Linux in VMware.

As a client or a host, Linux with VMware is a much better decision than cygwin with XP hacks to make the UI feel like Linux. It never completely satisfies.

Michael.

HA I can do better.

[SmallFurryCreature]

I worked for a small sister company and when we were brought into the office of our mother company we had some troubles. You see we did the web for this mother company. So we wanted all sorts of crazy things. SSH access to the webservers. Reliable internet access. (their proxy was down constantly)

I even got snide comments on how I wasted all my time surfing. They saw me having having a browser window open all the time. Well duh, that was the preview of the code I was editing on another screen.

What I had to do to get a linux development box you wouldn't believe. Of course this wasted countless hours but that was of course not managements fault.

So I can understand what this guy is afraid of. Not fun when a very nice workplace is ruined by management from outside. Quitting is dangerous to do in this economy but so is burn out or getting fired for breaking the rules. Quitting at least allows you some dignity. If he is really good there still is work out there.

Re:HA I can do better.

[Glonoinha]

-What I had to do to get a linux development box you wouldn't believe. Of course this wasted countless hours but that was of course not managements fault.

Actually rephrased this could read 'What I had to do to get *the company to buy me* a linux development box you wouldn't believe.'

There is plenty of security to keep you from walking out with a machine, and almost zero security to keep you from bringing one in. Any Linux hacker can build a nice box that looks exactly like the corporate boxes for under $500, install whatever OS and tools on it he wants at home, and walk it right in the front door back to his desk on a Saturday when all the suits are at home. Get a nice Linksys KVM (the one with the integrated cables, cost about $40) and a cheap 10/100 switch and slide em both under the desk with the other machine. Name the new machine according to the naming conventions so it doesn't stick out on the DHCP server and don't do anything stupid like surf porn and you are golden. Get used to hitting the scroll lock key twice real fast to swap between machines. Voila! Nerdvana.

Note that this is pretty much a bridge machine to help him be productive and get work done while he ramps up in the new environment.

Re:HA I can do better.

[BJH]

Note that this will get you fired in a lot of places for bringing in an unsecured machine.
Also, ever heard of MAC address control? Quite a few big shops will block you from the network if your MAC address is not pre-registered.

Re:HA I can do better.

[Glonoinha]

Granted - but in this specific case this guy is the sys/admin (or one of them.) Seriously - on a technical scale is there anybody watching over the sys/admins, or maybe he isn't that far up the food chain of sys/admins being one of the 'outsiders'.

As for MAC addresses, bring in a Linksys cablemodem router and clone the MAC address of the original work machine. This stops being funny of course when someone up the food chain tries to access the original box via IP and finds nothing but a firewall, of course.

Re:HA I can do better.

[BJH]

If the place is thinking about locking down the machines the sysadmins are using, then obviously they must have a separate internal IT section.

Really, I stick to my original point - doing any of the things you've suggested could be grounds for dismissal. The larger the shop, the higher the chances.

(By the way, there's at least one method I can think of for getting around the problem you mentioned - put a small Linux/*BSD box in bridge mode between the network and your personal Linux and Windows boxes, and redirect any incoming traffic transparently to the Windows box. If you do it right, you should be able to mimic the MAC address of the Windows box on the external interface of the bridge box, and make sure that anybody poking around from the network side sees only the Windows box.)

Re:HA I can do better.

[Glonoinha]

I agree with you. And neither of us has addressed the OP's question.

Want to come up to speed fast in a Windows environment? Go to the local white-box clone builder shop in your city, one that has a repair shop / build shop in the back, and talk to the big dog. Explain that you are a long time Unix hacker for a local ISP and as they are converting to Windows on the desktop you need to come up to speed in a hurry. Tell him you will eagerly come in on weekends, work a full shift doing whatever shit jobs the other techs don't want to do, help build computers, as long as you get to participate in the stuff you want to learn. Help him pull cables if you have to in order to participate in the configuration, installation, security, Active Directory stuff, users, rights, administration, etc... If he says that 'nothing is free' and can't understand why you would offer free labor, tell him that you will work for minimum wage and he can pay you in hardware.

Those guys see some of the most fuxored systems on the planet, support some of the lamest users in corporate America, and if you are in a hurry to come up to speed the other techs will happily trade you in exchange for sharing your experience with them.

Quit

[trouser]

ssa

Keep enjoying your paycheck

[jhoger]

I'm surprised they're keeping you being a Unix type admin to administer their Windows network. Basically you're getting an opportunity to learn a whole new environment and skillset on the job at the company's expense.

Believe me, having a wide variety of skills will suit you best. Look at it as an opportunity and take advantage of it.

And if you just can't cope with learning new stuff, go find a different industry to be in, because that's how this one works. We adapt given our circumstances. If the job just starts to totally suck quit for that reason.

F/OSS will achieve TWD whether you have money to pay for rent and groceries or not. Take advantage of the opportunities as you find them.

Re:Keep enjoying your paycheck

[mabhatter654]

Well of course they are...because he's probably making less money because it was a smaller ISP...small enough to get bought! He's now OVER qualified for their company...LOL...as long as his pay stays at small company pay they'll keep him.
I do agree about learning new stuff at the companies expense...but usually, it cost you A LOT of personal time and stress...simply to keep what you got. And to always be second-class to the new bosses! The problem is that change by Fiat never works. Like the guy said, they laid out an ultimatum without even discussing with the current admins! That's a huge problem. Sure it's nice to change over, I'm sure there's a reason for it...but simply dictating it to a new company is bad manors unless they're trying to prove who's boss. Many workplace problems are based in the bosses attitudes...not the actual instructions...this is a perfect case. If they can't seem to be civil about the change over then the guy's palace at the company is already gone. In that case if he can walk, go for it! otherwise it'll just take longer and be more messy! Who knows, perhaps he could even get laid off for being "over skilled" during the change over...it would be preverable to being fired!

BIZARRO!

[lcde]

What is this from... Bizarro land?

Re:Slashbots are hypocrites!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course the only "informed" decision is to use Open Source.

Start Looking for a new Job

[Bruha]

In my experience any company that arbitrarily forces you to change especially in a working situation without any good reason is heading to the grave anyways. In fact it's more likely they want it that way so they can do remote admin so they wouldnt be needing you anyways. And the first time you get a nasty virus and your customers suffer becuase of it they're probably going to walk anyways.

Superficial compliance

[judd]

Depending on what you feel management may tolerate, some options are:

- VMWare.
- A "server" that just happens to be your regular working environment. Use the magic of X.
- Alternatively, use rdesktop and Windows Terminal Server.
- A "development network"
- OpenOffice + Outlook Web Access

It would help to understand what the drivers are here for the new owners - that's what will help you build a case for preserving elements of your old environment, if that's what you want to do.

Otherwise, I would recommend cygwin+mozilla+win32perl/python. Gets you 9/10 of the way there.

Windows Look

[Anonymous Coward]

I would just keep linux on a few machines (if you happen to have 2 in the office its even easyer)... switch one to windows, and keep linux on the other one; but make the linux box look like windows... if needed run wine for a few programs.

That or you could keep linux, install vmware and run windows on that for when the boss is around, and if hes gone you can minimize and work on linux.

A waste of time to stay and lose skills

[SgtChaireBourne]

Yes, he could stay, but odds are with good F/OSS skills he can get a good job quickly.

In the situation where he can't quit this week, say because of family, debt, and so on, then it's definitely time to make finding a new job top priority. Staying would ensure a downward spiral into stress, job dissatisfaction and loss of IT skills. So the answer about how to make the transition? Make the transition to a new job.

Personally, I suspect the original post is probably a troll.

Quit.

[arcade]

I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but when such bone-headed manuevers are done - there really isn't much left to work for.

Personally I would've quitted the company the minute the message arrived. I would've taken the change as my termination letter.

Acclimatisation

[kinnell]

You could start to acclimatise your coworkers by walking around pulling out they're power cords at random intervals while they're trying to do important work. That way when windows is rolled out, they'll appreciate the helpful blue message that tells them they're fscked, rather than just a blank screen.

startx

[brandond1976]

Here is a tip from another *nix geek stuck with a windows desktop. Convince them to set you up with Cygwin (make sure you include the X server). Run ssh-keygen in cygwin to create a public/private keypair. Copy the public key to one of the linux boxes you admin that has an X server (it should be in $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys). On the windows machine create a .xinitrc file in your cygwin home directory that contains the following line only:
xterm -iconic -e ssh -X username@linuxbox "blackbox"

Now all you need to do is startx in cygwin and you get your nice *nix desktop :) If you don't like blackbox substitute in gnome-session, startkde, fluxbox, or whatever you prefer. Cygwin is nice, but I find that many things don't work quite right: ctrl-c is always grabbed so the only way I can quit emacs is F10 f e which is a pain and my esc and backspace don't work right in vi so that isn't an option either. It all works beautifully in an Xsession though. Besides, it just feels good to treat windows as a terminal.

You may need to tweek the firewall/# X sessions allowed/ssh settings/etc on the server. However, I think you will find it will make Windows much more comfortable for you. I have a dual monitor setup and frequently one monitor is X/Linux and the other Windows. If you can get them to give you Cygwin then give it a shot (if not then I pity you). I've found that it doesn't get much better than that for Windows. As always, YMMV.

Tidy up your resume - your job is to be repurposed

[Anonymous Coward]

Strong-arm tactics like these smell like preparation to make your job(s) redundant.
The fact they want to make such sweeping changes -- esp. no Admin (assuming you need it to do the job) -- in such a short amount of time suggests some other sweeping changes that haven't yet been announced -- esp. as you've just been bought, and IT companies are trying to cut costs, still.
I think you need to either follow what the prev. poster has said and demand an explanation, or if you have any sort of comraderie with your boss, maybe trying to have a 'friendly chat'.
If they're a bit poker-faced and unrepentent, I'd probably be reading the job ads the same day.

A second box

[barryvoeten]

I've been in a similar situation, but I just did not reinstall my system. Nobody had the gust to come and take it. So I just iginired the rule.

After a year my manager started wining that I still did not have that windows box. I said okay, but, it must be a second box. I need the linux box and no dual-boot here.

And it came. After that, productivity decreased to 1,1% because I had 2 desktops to administer, the mail came in on the windows and the work was on the other. But I had a good time playing mp3 till the whole business was shut down during the crash.

My Suggestions

[esme]

it's been a long time since i've used windows, but the best site at the time was called "windows annoyances". i think this is now www.annoyances.org. there are also books from the same content which i'd recommend as well, if you like the dead-tree format.

but mainly, i'd suggest trying to work within the system to convince them to make an exception for sys/netadmins and developers. i was in a similar situation about four years ago where i was using linux and transferred into a department where everyone was forced to use windows. so i basically made the case that developers and admins are different, can be responsible for their own machines, and can choose their own tech if they take the responsibility for it. i think the first point is key: once they accept that developers and admins should be allowed to play by different rules, a lot of the resistance will fade.

the other approach i'd consider would be just flying below the radar running linux. the reason i was using linux in the other dept was my department sysadmin didn't care. this is probably not an option for you with mandates from management and converting the whole department to xp. still, you might be able to repartition your hd and dual boot without getting noticed.

-esme

gateway

[kwoff]

Set up the windows box as a router for a linux laptop.

Internet Explorer

[chrysalis]

The worse thing you will discover while switching to Windows is the default browser called Internet Explorer. If you are allowed to install only one random application, install another browser as soon as possible.

First, by using Internet Explorer you will discover another side of web sites you are usually browsing. With flashing stuff everywhere, with pages that forces you to wait while watching ads, and with dozens of popups everywhere.

Navigation with keyboard is impossible, so get a good optical mouse and a large screen if you want to preserve your nerves.

Also there is no tabbed browsing, so you have to lose habits like opening every new link in a new tab or you will quickly end up with tons of windows everywhere.

But the main problem is that if you don't browse only very trusted sites, strange things will happen. I never go to w4r3z web sites, but everytime I've used Internet Explorer, my system became a mess. Random windows (things about online Casinos, or odd search engines) appeared even while browsing Slashdot. My DNS settings were changed and things appeared in the service tray. I was never able to figure out what it was and how to remove this sort of annoyance, but it also happens all the time to other people I know who are using Windows, so this is probably normal.

Re:Internet Explorer

[erlenic]

I'm sorry to say it, but if you have that happen to you all the time, then you and the other people you know with this problem are idiots. I've been using windows for years (damn this C&C addiction) and the ONLY time I've had suspicious software installed is the rare occasion when I install Kazaa, and ad-aware takes care of that crap. I've said it for years, and I'll say it again: anyone who gets a bunch of spyware on windows needs to learn how to use a computer.

The best possible alternative...?

[ghmh]

..could be to get them to install VirtualPC (or presumably VMWare) on your machine(s).

VirtualPC is now reasonably cheap, plus it's now a MS product, so they may be more likely to consider it?

Then you can install Linux / FreeBSD etc. on your virtual machine and get some productive work done without needing any administration access in windows itself.

Given the way you've described things however, I still wouldn't like your chances - sounds like an "it's our way or the highway" type situations.

OS X?

[rf600r]

Will they let you use OS X as a compromise? I'm being serious.

Re:OS X?

[Blondito]

Nope. I work for the same company, we have already had to change over and I was running OS X and no go , they were just as affraid of it as of Linux ...

No, Start Looking

[Geccie]

Quit was my first response, but that only harms you.
The correct answer is to start looking elsewhere. With the decision making quality of this management crew, your company is going to be in trouble soon. Windows sucks for an ISP; poor security and runs like a bloated pig. Not to mention that most windows programmers have no clue as to architectural and programming paradigms that affect performance.

WAKE UP CALL: they want you to be on their standards for 2 reasons.
First, they can eliminate your position.
Second, you will be OVERPRICED as your capabilities are immediately reduced as well as the amount of in-depth system knowledge you have (see #1).

On the bright side, if you have the ability to master unix or gnu / linux systems then you can run circles around the typical windows IT puke.
Looks like life is trying to take you new places - explore.

Network Admin without Admin rights on his desktop?

[LWATCDR]

Okay that makes no sence at all!!! Find a new job because these people are fools and will not last long at all.

WindozeLite

[Anonymous Coward]

Just lay the windows cd's on top of the box, which could be described as having it 'on' the computer.
With Solaris I had two versions: the Book and the Movie!

You'll need to be able to install software

[codemachine]

Otherwise Windows XP will be pretty unbearable (if you can't manage to secure this power, check out the end of my comment for a nasty workaround). It is almost impossible to do anything you ned to do without being an Administrator on the system. At the very least, you'll need to be a "Power User".

If you are able to get some software installed, Cygwin is pretty nice to have. A real shell (bash) instead of command.com is nice, and the X server is very good as well. It can run in multiwindow/rootless mode as well, so X windows can be managed by Win Xp instead of having a seperate XFree86 window with its own window manager.

For both usability and security reasons, you need to get something other than IE as your browser. FireFox or the Mozilla suite would be the best.

There are plenty of other open source applications that have been ported to Windows as well, so whatever tools you used to might be available.

If you are unlucky enough to not even have installation privilages, you do have a few options. First off, as others have mentioned, PuTTY is free ssh client that does not need an installation. Heck, it will run fine if you just select "Open" instead of "Save" on the download, although you'll want a copy on disk if possible so that you can save profiles and such.

If you need graphical applications from Linux/Unix and can't get an X server or VNC client installed, you can resort to using VNC through a Java Applet. I can't image this would be a joy to use though.

As a last resort, you can make a custon Knoppix/Morphix CD that boots into XPde instead of KDE. Nobody around you is likely to notice the difference.

Editors....

[/dev/trash]

Did you read the submission? he can't install Knoppix ( although using the word install is a bit wrong) so suggesting that he use a LiveCD distro, won't work.

Get a tool for your job.

[redog]

Buy a laptop and install linux on it. Its probably tax deductable, and you might beable to convince your boss to let the company foot the bill as a "productivity bonus".

Tell management and your new "admins" you will require a username and password to access network resources, an email address and internet access if company policy allows.

Start Looking

[kalidasa]

If they don't trust you enough to even give you Admin privileges, and you're developers (I assume you're developers if you're using Linux, and not tech typists), that means they don't value you much. They'll cut you eventually; try to find another job first and dump them.

Malicious Compliance

[ACPosterChild]

Malicious Compliance is a term I recently heard. Don't try to "reduce the performance hit". Without going too overboard, do the opposite. If you can't do something, don't figure it out yourself. Call their help center or talk to the local admin, and then sit on your ass until that little problem is resolved. Then call again with the next little problem. Make them keenly aware of the morale, performance, and MONEY hit they are taking by doing this.

The reason you're having to switch is because you are being treated as a work unit, not an individual (and definitely not valued). If your center can show them how much more productive you were when you were able to run Linux, and with no MS license fees, to boot, maybe you'll help them see the light. (/optimism)

We happen to be in a similar situation where I work. While simultaneously complaining about all the license fees they have to pay, management is forcing us to switch our machines from Linux to MSWindows with no other reason than, "I said so". While discussions are not over and all hope is not yet lost, we are tracking all the little bumps and having the IT staff fix all our little problems. Outlook not configured for the right server? Don't look around and fix it in 2 minutes. Make a blocking call to the help center and make it take 1/2 hour.

p.s. I really don't understand the "just quit" comments on stories like this. A lot of people must be much better off financially than I; and I can only imagine the lack of work ethic and/or inflated ego (or total lack of experience in a real work environment) that produces such comments. There are some stands worth losing your house and going hungry over, but not many, and not this.

Re:Malicious Compliance

[mabhatter654]

in today's environment if you can't quit right now then get your house in order so you can!

I went thru 6 months of hell trying to suck it up like everyone says to keep my job and got fired anyway...and the company was WAY out of line! I bent over backwards for well over a year doing stuff well beyond what I was being "paid" for...but in the end I was too "difficult" to work with. I managed to prove my case to Unemployment, but it still took 2 months to see a check...I've promised myself never again!

It sounds cruel, but employment is a business arrangement...nothing more. Most employment contracts are "at will" That applies to YOUR side too! If your not in a position to walk out then your in the position to be F@cked!!! The most successful employees I've seen let the boss know they can walk at any time. It takes skill and guts...to back up the talk. That alone solves many of the boss problems... Because they know you're good...and have to show you proper respect back...

It's not lack of work ethic...quite the opposite! It's about respecting yourself enough not to put up with being shit on. Also it takes hard work and constant planning to be able to "just walk out"... Remember, It's just a paycheck, if it's not working with your other goals in life [spouse, children, home, hobbies, etc] or worse, working against them, it's time to move on. Your're only a slave to your employer if you let yourself be....

It's not lack of experience on my part...I've worked at placed for 5,4.5, & 3 years [plus a few temp jobs] since I was 16 ...and the "real world" has always been the same: bosses come in with attitudes, break all their promises and expect you to like it because you NEED a paycheck. Take away that need to get a paycheck every week and you gain power!! real power over your employer! In the end, you make better deals with bosses because they have to make agreements with you and not simply "orders".

Re:Malicious Compliance

[ACPosterChild]

Well, I agree. It is good to not be under your employer's boot. The thing is, most of the people I know don't have a choice. When your discretionary income is only a couple hundred dollars a month and you need about 8K in order to have 6-8 months of living expenses covered (my situation due to college loans and below average car and board payments), it's easy to become discouraged because it will take about 6 years to save up that kind of money :) To be honest, I am over-paying on some loans, so maybe I should pay the minimum for a bit until I get money saved up.

Putty and PSCP

[grimace1969]

If you can't install much software, I suggest using Putty for your SSH. They also have an SCP program for windows, you can find it here.

there is no install you just use the executable from whatever folder it resides in.

If you haven't used windows in a while, you may be surprised by XP, I'ts faster and more stable than people will have you believe, I need to dual boot at work, and although I try to stay away from the XP side, when I do use it, it works fine. Don't forget that Perl, Python, Apache, Mozilla, etc. all run on windows, and most have a painless binary installer.

-G

Simple command-line fix for the problem.

[Harik]

mozilla http://www.monster.com/

Re:Slashbots are hypocrites!!

[bhtooefr]

If I read it right, it's actually a company that was running Linux, then was bought out, and is switching to Windows.

Look for the door. Now!

[mabhatter654]

Seriously, I had the same kind of silly job changes about 9 months ago....for some reason the boss tried to make the same kind of "lock everything down" sweeping changes. Just like this poor guy I was SUPPOSED to be the Sys Admin for the shop....I tried for 2 months to get by without Secofficer access, but finally ended up with my boss simply let me have what I needed.

Thing is that if the management is going to make sweeping changes to the core of your job without any input from you what ELSE are they going to drop next? In my case changes were made to work hours & OT, insurance and other "benifits" all without asking or even bothering to ask first... Point is that it's only the beginning!
Poor guy should start now...plan on at least 3 months to find a new job looking full time...so better start now!!!

Not the same thing!

[mabhatter654]

Admining windows is nothing like running windows!

MS has their own sauce for EVERYTHING...espically stuff that is straight forward on *inx...is particularly fustrating on windows to track it all down again. for a competant Linux admin Windows administration would be absolute hell! It's opposite worlds...Windows is almost entirely GUI now...but the good people still use a dash of CLI... making you look like an idiot for not knowing it. And pro windows admins are even worse than Kernel hackers at RTFM!!!!

You got trolled.

[Meor]

This is the biggest joke of a story ever. I'm once again astounded by the stupid people of slashdot. For people that look so highly on themselves you guys have to be the biggest grouping of idiots I've ever seen.

books

[Anonymous Coward]

One of the best overall Windows books I have read is MS's own training kit for one of their certification tests, 70-215 (Windows 2000 Server). I know it deals with Windows 2000, and at that Server, but I think overall it would put you ahead of the game, even working with Windows XP Pro. I read the 1st edition, so can't comment too much on the more recent 2nd, but I would imagine if anything it would be improved.

It is ~$42 shipped from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0735 617678/qid=1077988436//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/103 -7446930-0203823?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

~$33+ship from Bookpool:
http://www.bookpool.com/.x/agbh3ovdrn/ss/1?qs=0735 617678&Go.x=11&Go.y=11

I haven't read their book for XP certification (70-270?), but you may also consider it.

I think certification books are often great for study, whether or not you intend to take the test. They tend to hammer on important points, and then quiz you on them at the end of the chapter.

Best luck; I hope they at least give you SFU 3.5.