Windows NT vs Linux
According to the Microsoft Corporation, Windows 2000 (AKA Windows NT 5.0) is the revolutionary new operating system geared to take care of business. Advertised by Bill Gates and associates to be the best thing for business network file-systems since multi-tasking, it hosts a slew of new features. Included in these new features are innovative security settings, Internet and file-system integration, support for SMP (multi-processors), and most importantly, fewer crash scenarios than previous versions of Windows. The infamous instability of Microsoft products has long been a blemish on the company's track record. With different versions of Windows 2000 for different applications (Professional, Server, and Advanced Server), Microsoft hopes that this new implementation of Windows NT architecture will prove to be the best choice for businesses. Opposing the Microsoft machine in the battle for business computers is a lesser-known, yet increasingly popular operating system named Linux. Linux has been around for nearly 10 years now, as a less involved implementation of UNIX code. This operating system takes a dramatically different approach to computing than Windows. Programmed not by a single company, but
Despite this immediate lead for Linux, Windows does have strengths in other areas. One of those environments involves computers with Symmetric Multi-Processors, or SMP for short. Using multi-processors in server situations is becoming more the norm as the need for more computing power becomes apparent. To test the ability of both Linux and Windows under SMP circumstances Mindcraft INC. an independent laboratory, took it upon themselves to benchmark Windows NT 4 (predecessor to 2000), and Redhat Linux 5.2 (2.2.2 kernel as opposed to the new 2.4). The test was performed on a Dell PowerEdge 6300/400 with four 400mhz processors and four gigabytes of RAM. The benchmarking programs used were ZiffDavis' NetBench and WebBench, both standards in file-system and web serving testing. Security being the number one obstacle system operators must tackle, researching the security features of a program must take careful time. Quick scouring of the Internet, though, will show vehement protest of Linux and UNIX users against Windows and its security. Linux supporters make the well-founded claim that Windows security is based more on Third party applications than what comes right out of the box. According to John Kirsch, an expert on computer security: "Why Windows NT server 4.0 continues to exist in the enterprise would be a topic appropriate for an investigative report in the field of psychology or marketing, not an article on information technology. Technically, Windows NT server 4.0 is no match for any UNIX operating system, not even the non-commercial BSDs or Linux." This lack of security out-of-box is also very apparent if you look at the number of service patches made by the Microsoft Corporation after the fact. Accordingly, a system administrator has many things to consider when choosing what OS will be taking up hard drive space. He must understand what jobs need to be done, and how the strengths and weaknesses will either benefit, or detract from the goal. His system must be reliable and secure, yet still prove to be useable in an office or home setting. Accordingly, Windows NT managed to beat out Linux
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Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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