Changing a Windows Network to Linux?

Charli125 asks: "I have been a Windows administrator ever since I got into the tech industry. I have no working experience with any other OS except for those from Apple. I am currently working with a small company that has 1 server and around 15 workstations. I would like to faze out all of the Windows software, in order to avoid having to deal with viruses, save money, and learn how the other half lives. Since I have never so much as installed Linux, I am looking for resources or advice on how to get started, and how to plan the change over. Can anyone help me?" "My current setup is like this:
Server-Windows Small Business Server 2003, Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition(and for Exchange)

Workstations-Windows XP Pro, Office 2003 or XP, Symantec Antivirus, IE for most of the browsers (Firefox for mine and a few others). The main apps used are like every other office, Word and Excel.

I have OpenOffice installed on my home computer, and it works fine. I do see a problem with non-tech types saving in the default format though, which would result in other users not being able to read the documents/spreadsheets.

Yeah, I know, I'm so MSFT, I'm everything you guys hate about the IT world, but I would really appreciate anything that would help me get started.

Thanks"

Comments

No

[awarlaw]

If you are currently using Exchange the answer is no.

Speak for yourself

[MarkusQ]

While many of us don't like Microsoft, for various reasons, we still use it, many of us exclusively.

On the other hand, many of us don't use it at all, and don't miss it. I've got 5 boxes on my KVM switcher here, and every one of them is running some flavour of *nix. There's no reason that I can see to use Windows; we have exactly one Windows box in the office and it is used for 1) testing web pages and 2) testing anti-virus software.

Reading the rest of your post (You're being paid to reduce uncertainty for the users. It's not fair to your users to increase that uncertainty by orders of magnitude unless there is a massive benefit to the users.) and (Feel free to ignore my advice, but you might want to update your resume if you do so.) and I almost begin to wonder if you've got a case of FUD. GNU/Linux et al work just as well and are a heck of a lot easier to administer, less random in their behaviour, and more reliable than Windows if the system administrator knows whats they are doing. The problem with Windows is that even if you know what you are doing you run a high risk of finding yourself in a can't-get-there-from-here situation with no way to find out what's happening or even start to fix it.

--MarkusQ