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Red Hat Versus Windows

Red Hat is an open-source Linux distribution and Windows is the commercial offering from Redmond-based Microsoft. Before considering whether Red Hat is better than Windows, let’s look at the Linux versus Windows debate in general (from a home user perspective).

Points for Windows include: it’s easy to use, it’s widely supported and … well, that’s probably about it.

Points for Linux include: it’s cheap (or free), it’s stable and it’s more secure than Windows.

For home users, the choice is fairly easy. If you’re a non-technical type, Windows is probably your best bet. It’s as easy to use as an operating system can be, it’s probably the operating system that you use at work and, because it has such a large user-base, you’ll be able to get support when you need it - in fact, your next door neighbour’s kids will probably be able to act as your unofficial help desk! That said, it’s worth noting that Linux is becoming easier and easier to use and certain distributions, such as Ubuntu, are now bringing it within reach of even the most technically-challenged people. For technically-minded people, Linux represents a great choice which enables people to keep their hard earned cash in their pockets.

Ok, so let’s move on to Red Hat versus Windows in a business environment, starting out with the costs. I mentioned above that Linux is cheap or free, but that’s not exactly the case when it comes to Red Hat. While Microsoft charges a one-time licensing fee, Red Hat uses an annual support subscription model – in other words, you pay for it every year. Microsoft infers that this makes Red Hat more expensive than Windows (How can “free” be this expensive?). Hmmm. Ok, when it comes to the straightforward, up-front costs for the shrink-wrapped operating system, Red Hat is indeed probably is more expensive that Windows. That said, when you start to factor in CAL licensing and upgrade costs (due to the fact that Windows has obsolescence built-in), then the gaps starts to close. So, which is really the cheapest option? The answer is probably that it is probably environment-dependant. What’s cheaper for me might not be cheaper for you.

On to security. Microsoft claim that Windows has less vulnerabilities than Red Hat (Quote: Over the first 650 days of product life for Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Windows Server 2003 had 75 percent fewer published vulnerabilities). I’m not going to dispute Microsoft’s statistics (which I’m sure are right), but they are possibly somewhat misleading. Unlike Windows, Red Hat ships with a complete range of server applications, some of which will not be installed. Were you to look at actual installations and compare the number of vulnerabilities that affected each over a certain period, the numbers would probably be fairly similar. Furthermore, it’s also worth remembering that vulnerabilities in Microsoft operating systems tend to be more heavily targeted than vulnerabilities in other operating systems.

When it comes to manageability, Microsoft scores some points over Red Hat. Windows does a much superior job of hand-holding that Linux. In a small business where Bob the bookkeeper is also Bob the IT guy (simply because he happens to know a bit more about IT than anybody else in the building), then he would certainly find life to be easier in a Windows environment. That said, in larger environments or environments with experienced administrators, this will be a non-issue. You can do things just as easily in Red Hat as easily as you can in Windows (in fact, some things can be done more easily), so long as you know how to do them.

So, which is really the best option? There is no clear-cut answer. For small businesses with limited in-house resources which do not want to outsource support, Windows would probably be the right choice. For everybody else, it’s an extremely close call. I prefer Red Hat’s server and desktop solutions to either Windows Server or Windows XP or Vista, but that’s simply a matter of personal opinion. Your mileage may vary.

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The history of IT

The history of information technology (IT) is a long and storied one.

It starts with the Big Bang and the beginning of the cosmos as we know it about 15 or 20 billion years ago. It continues with the formation of the solar system and the planet earth about four billion years ago. It picks up speed with the evolution of humanity some millions and hundreds of thousands of years ago, the development of human civilization some thousands of years ago, and the Industrial Revolution’s taming of machinery and power over the last few centuries. It culminates in the invention of the vacuum tube, microchip, and sundry sequels over the last several decades.

The invention of the multi-tasking computer is the turning point.

All previous stages of cosmic and human history also involved the clash and interplay of various forms of information—whether fossils in the earth; the biological storage and dissemination of information via mechanisms like DNA; the purposeful storage and dissemination of information in clay tablets, papyri, and printed books; or the computations of the abacus or slide rule. With the invention of computers, however, human-guided manipulation of data became ever more purposeful, ever more compact, ever speedier, and ever more powerful. Ever more capable of serving goals that depend on the gathering, organizing, processing, storage, and distributing of information.

The first general-purpose and electronic computer was the behemothic ENIAC, created in the mid-40s, which made its binary calculations using vacuum tubes and could not store the instructions that ran it. By the early 60s, we had the transistor based on semiconductors to replace the vacuum tube, and punched cards to replace magnetic tape. Over the next decade and a half, individual transistors were replaced by integrated circuits, whose storage capacities have expanded rapidly and incessantly.

By the 1980s, we were getting microprocessors on a single chip, personal computers in every office, and sophisticated operating systems to run a proliferation of sophisticated software. Today, everybody can tap into a complex link-up of far-flung computers called the Internet (which in the late 60s was composed of just four university computers). The IT lifelines have become so critical to our workaday flourishing that specialists from Boston IT consulting may be called in to ensure that one’s own indispensible corner of cyberspace is operating smoothly and at full potential.

Of course, human-fashioned infotech cannot (yet) do many of the things that biological systems of information that have evolved over eons can do. On the other hand, give a pro from Boston IT consulting a tough technical puzzle, and he will accomplish tasks far beyond the capacity of any non-sentient biological process. And in another million or billion years…who knows what IT systems will have accomplished?

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What an IT company can do for you is as diverse as information technology itself.

PC power is often easy to tap. We complain about software bloat or glitches, and of course there are endless pitched battles between Apple guys, Microsoft guys, Linux guys, and other techno-partisans. But often enough you can just switch on your computer and immediately churn out a basic word-processing document, slide show, or database.

Boston IT consulting comes in handy when things get more complicated and the fate of your company hinges on making sure your IT system is as robust and smooth-running as possible.

Construction and maintenance. When a network, web site, or other IT system central to your enterprise needs to be set up or fine-tuned, Boston IT consulting pros can make sure that the build is sound and that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. They can also help you with special projects, like translating and archiving a forest of data that now exists only on paper.

Marauder eradication. We all know about viruses and the havoc they can wreak on our computers (and, without our knowledge, the computers of friends and colleagues). But too often we only really worry about it when a scare makes the network news, like the Conflicker virus, which was supposed to snarl all our computers on April 1 (and which may or may not be a dud, the web cops tell us). Whatever Conflicker ends up doing, the supply of viruses out there is endless and ever growing. An IT specialist can make sure your system is clean of malefactors and that it is properly protected against future intrusions.

Computer de-clogging. Clearing the gunk out of your computer and startup process so your PC keeps running fast.

Data recovery. You’ve been either careless or careful, but whichever the case, something has gone terribly wrong and there’s critical data on a PC that has not been adequately backed up. A good Boston IT consultant won’t take your confession. He’ll just save the day. And maybe tweak that backup system a bit.

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Recently we were required to encrypt all laptops of a health care client. The original choice was PGP but one of our engineers brought TrueCrypt to my attention. I couldn’t believe it. It was perfect, fast, and free!

We were able to offer full disk encryption for all their laptops in a blink of an eye. The only thing I didn’t like about it was when we tried to encrypt the USB flash drives. It uses a “container” to encrypt a file on the flash drive that stores all the encrypted data. It has a bit of a learning curve for end users.

The product that we chose for encrypting flash drives is Iron Key. This thing is great. Plus it into to any computer, enter the password, and open your data. It is even waterproof! I have a washed a few in my lifetime. An added security feature is a 007 type self destruct option that engages if you enter the wrong password more than 10 times.

Downfall? Price! This thing is not cheap. I wish they could drop the price a bit. Pay 150 bucks for a 4 GB flash drive! A little high if you ask me.

I guess it depends on how sensitive the data is and how technical the end users are.

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