Re: The best OS for small business

From: ray (ray_at_zianet.com)
Date: 08/05/05 

Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2005 08:53:32 -0600

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 23:57:42 -0400, Alan Borcic wrote:

> Hello guys,
> I would like to ask you for your opinion and debate on my challenge.
> I want to run small Internet business from cheap used computer ($200).
> I would need Web Server, Mail Server, FTP Server, DNS, Firewall, in
> another words whole nine yards.
> I am Windows user although I was playing for a while with Mandrake.
> I gave up since I got tired of tweaking OS all the time. CD burner does
> not work, Kaza is too slow, AVI movies can not be played, etc.
> My computer is my tool, not my life. I am not dye hard computer fan
> enough to spend every moment of my free time playing with Linux.
> Anyway, friend of mine is advising me to put Win 2003 on that used
> computer although I am not sure what kind of performance I can expect
> from Win 2003 running of Pentium II :). He also told me that Windows is
> much faster and easier to set up which is probably true. However, for
> reasons unknown to me, I still love Linux, and I want to give it a try.
> However, considering what I mentioned above about not willing to spend
> every moment of my free time tweaking Linux, I would ask you for your
> opinion about which Linux distribution can run smoothly what I need with
> minimum amount hassle. I want to focus on business, not on OS issues.
> Thanks in advance
>
> Alan

If you really believe that Linux requires constant tweaking, etc. then why
are you even considering it? Seriously - it is really quite trouble free
once it is installed and set up for your needs. I spent several days early
in the year installing and setting up Mandrake 10.1 on the public access
internet computers at the local library. Since then, I drop by every
couple of weeks for an hour or two to do updates. And that is it. They run.

Would have been nice if you had actually given some machine specs - $200
doesn't really say much - the $200 machines from WalMart don't look that
bad and would easily run a full-up Linux with Kde or Gnome (can get them
with Linux pre-installed). If your machine is less than about 500mhz and
doesn't have at least 256mb ram - I'd be looking at something 'lighter' -
either no gui (try that with MS) or something like XFCE or enlightenment.
I do not agree that MS is easier to install and set up. I would suggest
Mandrake 10.1, SuSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, or any other modern distro - check
www.distrowatch.com.

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