Time for everyone to leave now..... 3286

Erik Funkenbusch

Got it and thanks. I'll do this when a post gets real looooong as in some of the "deeper-nested" threads here.

Overall and probably on every single issue I agree with you 100%. I think that most knowledgeable people would come to the same conclusion if they thought about the problem analytically instead of emotionally.

Regarding security, viruses, etc. Agreed again. I should have mentioned desktop OS's because the NT servers are basically as secure as any other server out on the web, data-center, etc. Look at the various security-bulletins and there is effectively zero difference.

It's different on the desktop and as you pointed it the average desktop is being used by a inexperienced user whereas a server is not. Users do stupid things and they usually don't know what they are doing. But it's also fair to say that historically MS hasn't done much to encourage safe computing. Install XP, wizard tells you to create an account... congratulations, you're now a member of the Administrators group. I know there are reasons for this but they really ought to be moving people away from this and discouraging this sort of practice.

Otherwise you make several excellent points. I won't bother repeating them but it's difficult to make an intellectual argument against what you've said. Windows and *nix are different tools that are being used by various customers with different budgets, goals and different time constraints. There is no one operating system thats a one size fits all just as there isn't one programming language that is a one size fits all solution either. If a bank or insurance company asked me what OS to run their customer database on I would tell them *nix. If someone who's never used a computer before wanted to buy a system for casual home use and to print greeting cards I would probably suggest a Mac if it was in their budget range. Windows has been a good fit for me and I also routinely go months without rebooting.

An excellent post. I hope that people get a chance to read and think about what you wrote. I certainly enjoyed reading a honest insightful post for a change.