Operating System Links

Operating Systems

The list below is a summary of the operating systems used on most of the computers and servers around today. For new servers with a Microsoft flavour we would reccommend one of the versions of Windows 2003. Windows NT should not be exposed to the internet and if you are still using it, you are asking for trouble. Windows 2000 is being phased out so it should not be used for new installations. Existing installations of Windows 2000 should be considered for migration or upgrade to 2003. The major disadvantage of Microsoft software is the cost of the Client Access Licences for a large user base.

For new Linux based servers we would reccommend Debian. Fedora and FreeBSD are worth considering too, but for ease of use, security and stability, Debian is usually preferred. If you are looking for extra performance then FreeBSD is worth a look, provided you have some Linux experience already. If you using linux with a desktop, then you might want to use Fedora. The major disadvantage of Linux is the inability to run some of the popular Microsoft applications and services.

For critical applications that require maximum stability and performance, commercial software should be considered. For the best desktop experience we would recommend windows XP. But, if you are looking for high performance servers with scalability, load balancing, distributed computing, distributed services, and hundreds of users, one of the linux varients is usually the best for the job. Commercial versions of linux are not necessary, but can be cost effective if you need support contracts or have multiple servers.

Using a variety of software will usually give the best TCO. A variety of license types (free, open source, oem, royalty, retail, donation, etc) and a variety of sources (Microsoft, open source, Oracle, Cisco, Symantec etc) is always cheaper than relying on just one source and one license type. Even Microsoft have distributed software for free or under GPL type licenses.

Popular versions of Linux used in servers are...

Other notable versions of Linux are...

Other operating Systems...