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Originally Posted by esteem_lover Resurfacing this thread again. We are looking for a neat OS in our office which would serve the purpose of regular office work connecting to an in house server as well as a central server in delhi. The office is recommending only linux while some people are quite averse to this idea. Could someone tell me how much of a difference would it make between using windows vista or Red Hat linux 8 ? Would really appreciate some useful inputs here. |
esteem_lover, 'linux' is only the kernel and not the whole operating system. So, what you need to look at is the particular version of particular application available with a distro, and verify if that matches your requirements / features. You also need to see if you require any special software in your organisation. You will need to select the distro which provides the highest common factor / version for the applications you need.
People in your office will be using applications like OpenOffice.org or Mozilla/Firefox most of the time; and I suggest you use Ubuntu on desktops and Debian "stable" for the servers. Ubuntu is based on debian (same source, compiled against latest libraries). Debian has a rock solid stability policy and I will assure that debian's "sid" aka "Unstable" is more stable that any version of RHEL.
If it is not a tooo large office (< 50 users), run the proxy, firewall, web browser LDAP (for authenticating users), file server, proxy/NAT, DNS, a chat application etc on the server. (I have in mind a box with something like 120GB level 1 raid and 2 GB RAM and two network cards). For bigger numbers, hive off some of the processes to another server and/or get a more powerful, multi-processor server.
Once a proper server is set up, for the new terminals, you can get diskless nodes for the - you can save on the hard disk costs and maintenance. (look up the LTSP project)
On the desktop, give users choice - there is more than one app for every purpose. They can use GNOME for the OSX like file; or KDE for a more traditional look. Processors with less power can use ICEWM.
Right now, the only problem you are likely to encounter are with the video display cards - NVIDIA and ATI. Of these, Nvidia has its own drivers, which are maintained by them, which means you need to get new drivers every time you upgrade your kernel. ATI has started releasing drivers under open source licenses; so you can forget the ATI bashing you are going to find when google for ATI's linux support.
Printer configuration (cupsys is the only print server which may fit your requirements) is another
likely problem area. Check for printer compatibility. Most HP printers (except 1010 something - not sure) are supported; ditto for ALL dot matrix / linematrix / impact printers and most Epson printers. Not sure about others (Xerox and the like).
Last but not least, remember the adage - Linux is Free, not free. It is "Free" as in freedom; not "free" as in free perfumes and anti-skid mats.
You will get most support free of cost; but do not hesitate to get commercial support when required.
You should also subscribe to the Chennai Linux users' group (I think it is called the Chennai LUG) mailing list at
ilugc Info Page
Get back with any queries.