*BSD News Article 91993


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From: behrensm@river.it.gvsu.edu (Matt Behrens)
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Linux or FreeBSD (or something else?)
Followup-To: alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Date: 26 Mar 1997 23:26:04 GMT
Organization: Grand Valley State University
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Goatboy (lcappite@sprynet.com) wrote:

: >	Those willing to give up functionality for ease of use
: >	loose both and deserve neither.

: What *significant* things can UNIX do that NT4 or 95 can't?

I'm assuming you mean off-the-shelf, as opposed to buying first your OS
and then buying millions of incompatible add-on products which usually
don't seem to fit the bill anyway. Here's a short list, by no means
exhaustive: 

1. Allow remote command-shell logins.
2. Completely interact with programs running remotely (this includes
   windowing applications.)
3. Heavy-duty security, ESPECIALLY in the realm of keeping users out of
   other users' stuff. (NT does have fair security, to be completely
   fair -- but I'd still trust my stuff to UNIX any day.)
4. The need to buy everyone a Pentium-200 with 32 MB of RAM disappears.
5. Need a certain functionality? Chances are it's already there on the
   Internet, for FREE. 95/NT users are lucky to get something in a
   time-limited demo. Most modern UNIXes come with this stuff
   preinstalled.
6. Free development tools come standard and are updated for free.
7. Stay up for REALLY long periods of time and not be any worse for it.
8. People running UNIX aren't at the mercy of Microsoft. Chances are if
   something needs to be changed with the O/S, some independent programmer
   will do it.

and finally, the MOST important,

9. Adherence to OPEN (yes, OPEN, not locked up in some
   multi-thousand-dollar MSDN subscription) standards.

I'm positive many more people can come up with many more examples.  In
fact, I'd like to see them.

--
Matt Behrens <behrensm@river.it.gvsu.edu> | NOTICE: Unsolicited commercial
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