Re: [HACKERS] custom types and optimization

On Sun, 31 May 1998, The Hermit Hacker wrote:

> On Sun, 31 May 1998, David Gould wrote:
>
> > > I hate to use myself as an example...but why do I hate Linux? And
> > > why wouldn't I recommend anyone to use it? Past Experience.
> >
> > Ok, why do you hate Linux? I have been using it since 94 and am happier than
> > a pig in mud. Maybe I am easy to please (doubtful) or maybe I am missing
> > something? I don't want to start an OS war here (there are enough of those
> > in other places), so please reply (if you choose to do so) privately.
>
> No no, this wasn't meant to start a flame war...most of the
> oldtimers here know of my hatred for Linux, and I've admitted often that
> with Linux today, it is pretty unfounded...
>
> I used Linux pre-94...pre-v1.0..in a business/production
> environment. At that time, I was hard-core Linux advocate...it was the
> greatest thing since sliced bread, but, the day I hoooked it onto the
> Internet, keeping it alive more then 24hrs was a chore, and it was all in
> the TCP/IP networking code...switched to *BSD and have been here ever
> since...

I'd gone thru similar, but a more recent set of experiences have soured
me. I've seen some out-of-the-box linux installations failing from
overload where the equivelent in a FreeBSD environment wasn't. When I'd
have 200+ users getting their email and a bunch of 'em also getting their
web pages hit, nasty things were hitting the fan. As an admin it's a
problem that eventual tuning wasn't good enuf. When you have PAYING
customers crabbing about the services they're paying for not being up
to their expectations, as a provider you have to answer to 'em. We were
able to get a couple of linux boxen going to meet the need, but our
experiences beyond that were that a FreeBSD box was able to instantly
provide a much higher level of service with a much higher level of
reliability to it for a lower cost (the cost of setting things up is,
of course, figured into the overall cost).

Do I wanna see all of the linux boxen removed? No way! Most of the
security exploits are written to run on a linux platform. I don't need
to waste any time porting an exploit to a FreeBSD machine (no matter how
easy it is) just to make sure my machines aren't vulnerable.

My personal opinion? Use the proper OS for the job at hand. I can come
up with jobs that are best suited to many operating systems. If you want
to choose an operating system that's not up to par with what you need to
do or what your PAYING customer needs? Then you need to rethink your
business strategies. For what I do, OS/2 provides me with the tools I
need. For what my wife does, 95 is her choice. For my news machines
and web servers, it has to be UN*X and currently that platform is FreeBSD.
At work, it's HP-UX. You gotta use the proper tool for the job or you're
only screwing yourself. The way you evaluate the tool is noone's
responsibility but your own. Make the proper decision and you keep your
customers; blow it and someone else gets your customers. Personally I
don't like those all nite panic sessions.

Vince.
--
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Vince Vielhaber -- KA8CSH email: vev(at)michvhf(dot)com flame-mail: /dev/null
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