October 6, 1999
By Jamin Philip Gray
Okay, let’s look at what Microsoft is saying with an open mind and leave our natural prejudices behind as much as possible.
One point we’d like to address before anything else is that Microsoftmisuses the word “Myth” in their document. A myth is typically an unfoundedor false notion, something imaginary. Keep this definition in mind as youread this response. We’d like to give credit to Steven Schveighoffer forhis astute observations on Microsoft’s use of the word myth.
Myth: Linux performs better than Windows NT
Reality: Windows NT 4.0 Outperforms Linux On Common Customer Workloads
We could talk for hours about this one, but we’d rather not. Just do a search on any number of Linux news sites for “benchmark” and you’ll turn up dozens of articles. Here are two such articles from the same source (It-Director) that come at the issue from two different angles:
Linux Beats Windows NT in German Benchmark
Linux fails at the OS Corral. So What?
What it boils down to is that benchmarking is a tricky issue. In some areas Linux performs better than NT, in others NT performs better. You can’t just say that Linux is faster than NT or vice-versa. That is a meaningless statement. It all depends on what you are measuring the speed of.
Myth: Linux is more reliable than Windows NT
Reality: Linux Needs Real World Proof Points Rather than Anecdotal Stories
Microsoft has a point here. Linux-zealots often are quick topoint out that NT is buggy and unstable while Linux runs likea dream and never crashes, but the truth of the matter is thatin a way this is merely FUD on the part of Linux-zealots.Before you start up your flame-throwers, think with us for amoment. So often these claims are made by individuals whodon’t really have the authority to make them. They arezealots who read Linux news sites in particular and don’tbranch out with an open mind and really read the stories thatadvocate NT. We personally know several NT sysadmins whorarely have problems with their mission critical NT servers.As Microsoft points out, Linux is still relatively untested inthe commercial world. Yes, there are a growing number ofcompanies deploying Linux for real-world applications, but itwill take more time before Linux has wide-spread acceptanceand testing. An OS takes time to mature. Keep this in mind,as we’ll come back to this important point.
If you wish to see that the number of companies deploying Linuxsolutions is on the rise, go to “Linux lacks a commercial quality Journaling File System.”
This is very true. This is one major shortcoming of GNU/Linux at this time. But this will change. As most of us know there are several possibilities in the near future for a journaled file system including xfs, reiserfs, and ext3.
Myth: Linux is Free Microsoft makes another good point here, but they are clearlymisusing the word “Myth” here. It is a Fact that Linux is free.What this means for the TCO is another matter entirely. Microsoft alsounderestimates the impact that the Open Source nature of Linuxhas on the total cost. When determining the total cost ofimplementing a system in Linux, there are many factors. Insome cases Linux may be cheaper, in other cases NT may becheaper. Linux is a rich and complex operating system, butthis does not mean that it is inherently difficult toadminister. Modern distributions bundle intuitive tools forsystem administration, and there is a plethora of freedocumentation, tutorials, and support in the form of mailinglists, newsgroups, and irc channels. As Microsoft points outin the opening paragraph, “Linux fundamentally relies on30-year-old operating system technology and architecture.”There is no shortage of Unix experts, and anyone who isfamiliar with Unix should not have trouble migrating to Linux.
We highly recommend reading the Myth: Linux is more secure than Windows NT Microsoft is arguing here that the 30-year-old Unix securitymodel is weak. This is a rather curious statement. Whenarguing for the stability of NT vs. Linux, they said thatLinux needs more time to prove itself, that it hasn’t maturedand been tested in the commercial world. Now they are arguingthe reverse–that because NT is a new technology it isinherently better than the archaic Unix model. The truth ofthe matter is that because Unix has been around for 30 years,it is a tried-and-true, proven technology. And it is notstagnant, Unix has been developed and refined continually overthe years. As we said before, an OS takes time tomature.
“Linux security is all-or-nothing. Administrators cannot delegate administrative privileges: a user who needs any administrative capability must be made a full administrator, which compromises best security practices.”
This is simply untrue. Through the use of “Linux system administrators must spend huge amounts of time understanding the latest Linux bugs and determining what to do aboutthem. This is made complex due to the fact that there isn’t a centrallocation for security issues to be reported and fixed.”
True, there is not one central location for securityissues, but this is actually an advantage of Linux, not adisadvantage. Most distributions have acentral location for all bug-fixes and errata. Simplydownload the package updates and install them. It is veryeasy. If for example, you are running Red Hat 6.1, simply goto the Myth: Linux can replace Windows on the desktop Again, note Microsoft’s use of “Myth.” It is a fact that Linux can replaceWindows on the desktop. To what extent, and whether or not replacingWindows on the desktop is a good thing is up for hot debate. Yes, Linuxhas a way to go before it gains widespread acceptance on thedesktop, but that does not mean that it “makes no sense atthe desktop.” We personally find it to be an idealdesktop OS for our purposes. If there are applications thatyou need to run that aren’t available for Linux, then don’tuse Linux as your desktop. We should also note (again, thanks Hugo) thatthere is software available such as Tags: Features
Reality: Free Operating System Does Not Mean Low TotalCost of Ownership
Reality: Linux Security Model Is Weak
Reality: Linux Makes No Sense at the Desktop
