Survey shows NT admins looking at Linux

bpdlr writes "A recent survey carried out by the Microsoft Exchange Forum in the UK shows that 20% of NT/Exchange admins in UK enterprises see Linux as a potential alternative to NT, up from 0% in six months (it's a PDF file, see page 4). Compare that with only 29% sure they will upgrade to Win2000. "

Comments

NT tidbits

[drwiii]

There seems to be lots of emphasis on NT on the server-side.. Here are some notes from my notepad citing my observations of a few sites who have deployed either NT or Unix on their server-side.

Customer A:
Has approximately 100 workstations (Windows 95/98) that will be accessing a central mail server for interoffice and internet email. Despite FreeBSD recommendation, client decides on two NT servers, one for web traffic, one for Microsoft Exchange. Reason for NT choice: "I want everything, from top to bottom, to be Microsoft. It's Microsoft. It's an integrated solution." Aftermath: Client's NT servers are rarely stable, as exchange buckles under heavy email load. Client spends astronomical fees on "NT Experts" to come in and "tune" IIS server to get the easiest of features working correctly. Conclusion: Client has overshot their budget. WAY overshot. Windows 95 workstations seem to destroy themselves left and right. And things still aren't working up to spec.

Customer B:
Similar to the above customer, but in a more email-intensive setting. Client has approximately 100 or so computers running Windows NT Workstation that will be accessing a central mail server for interoffice and internet email. Client accepts FreeBSD recommendation. Aftermath: Client's FreeBSD server is exceptional for mail, file, and print services. Sidenote: Windows NT Workstation is an ideal operating system in their type of environment, and is a strong performer on the desktop. Client may be accepting FreeBSD recommendation for HTTP services in the near future. Conclusion: Client is in WAY under budget, and a few months early to boot.

Based on my experiences, I can say that an ideal company setting would include a BSD Unix (or Linux if you prefer) on the server-side. I prefer BSD Unix because of its excellent networking code. Additionally, FreeBSD in particular is a breeze to install. That's why I carry my FreeBSD CD set with me wherever I go. On the client-side, I prefer Windows NT Workstation for the masses, and Linux or BSD for the techies, at their option. Windows NT Server may be good for nominal load, but I (personally) wouldn't trust it in a mission critical environment.

Comparing Apples and Oranges...

[Eric Savage]

29% are planning to move to NT within 12 months.
20% are considering Linux as a possible OS alternative in the future.

Sounds to me like the questions are not equal (I don't think they were meant to be). Comparing these statistics is erroneous, as planning is alot different than considering. And future is alot longer than 12 months, they could mean 5 years. Puffing out your chests by spouting figures like this just makes the whole community look worse. Take the following statement, which is close to the survey's: I am planning on wearing clothes tomorrow, but I have considered streaking in the future...