Linux Rant
Posted by kiwinewt on 11 March, 2007Yeah. I feel like ranting about the reasons Linux servers and linux desktops just arent pushing the right buttons with me.
1. Mail Server.
I am used to M$ Exchange. I know how to use it and i like the features, especially with Outlook 2007. The fact that I can find no truly open-source alternative to Exchange bugs me. All the ones I have found cost too much!
2. Mail Apps
Outlook 2007 is good. I will even go to say that its great. All the new functionality, I love it. I like being able to flag messages for follow up, etc. Why can I not find a Linux equivalent? I have tried Thunderbird, which is supposed to be the best (No connection to Exchange) and still nothing. WHY?!?!
3. Web Server
OK. I’m also used to IIS 6.0. I would love to switch my server to LAMP instead of WIMP, but WHY do I have to do my web server config from a text file? I have google searched and all I can find is about 2, both of which are pay-for ones. Come on people. Without basic server ease-of-configuration, theres no way Linux can properly compete with Windows on the server admin level.
4. GUI
I’m not sure if it is just Gnome, but why does the Windows GUI seem to be a lot crisper, more professional and seem to take up a lot less screen space?
5. Installs
Yeah, OK. I like Synaptic on Ubuntu. But why do we still have to go into the shell to install programs that arent put out as .deb’s? This just makes it a lot harder for the average user, and is another example of no Linux standardization (yes, I do know about the LSB, but it is still only optional…)
[/rant]
Thats all I can think of at the moment, but please feel free to comment and let me know solutions or more problems!
I have the opposite opinion on Exchange, IIS, and Outlook. I hate the lot after having to work with them for 2.5 years. Exchange is fairly decent but can sometimes go down for no reason. Microsoft have promised for years to move the DB to something more robust like SQL server but the underlying DB is still Access, IIRC. I actually enjoy configuring Apache using text files. The IIS 6 menus are not very intuitive. Maybe I like Linux more in general because of the abundance of community support and documentation. If Technet can’t help you, you’re kind of screwed when it comes to Microsoft.
WHY do I have to do my web server config from a text file?
Aw, harden up kiwinewt.