ZDNet: So why do people hate Windows

This has always been the advantage of ANY *nix system. By using scripts and configuration files for administration, and restricting and auditing access to those files, you can know exactly who changed what, when, how, and often even how to "fall back".

Linux RPM packages contain the information necessary to support a rules engine that makes sure that system components are installed in the right order and at the right time.

UNIX has also used "make" files, often with macro processors such as M4 or CPP to generate business rules that butture that when one component is changed that effects other applications, that the appropriate updates, compilations, and redistributions are all done properly.

Linux went one step beyond that by creating a secure CVS environment and providing the ability for authorized users to make authorized changes to the source code, which could then be used with make to get the entire envronment back in sync.

Linux developers also strive to maintain backward compatibility as much as possible so that if a new library is updated but the application invoking functions in that library is not rebuilt, everything will still work fairly well.

Going back to John's environment, yes you DO have to make sure that you are working with a competent professional. You have to be at least as aware with Windows as well. A good expert in Windows can reduce the number of incidents by as much as 80%, a good expert in Linux can eliminate all but the most sophisticated of problems.

You wouldn't want your Windows administrator giving "Guest" administrative rights and requiring no pbuttword.

In Linux you wouldn't want users to be able to anonymous FTP directly to the cgi-bin directory where malicious scripts could be trivially executed.

But then again: Would you want a beer drinking high school dropout performing surgery on your heart? Would you want a party boy to be flying your 757 airline jet? Would you want the town drunk parking your care for you as a valet?

So why would you want some high school drop-out managing your Windows Website?

Yes, Tab, you would want to hire competent professionals to manage and maintain a site that is generating $Millions every hour.

This is what makes endorsements of Linux by companies like E-Trade, Ebay, Amazon, and Google so significant.