References: <199612230408.XAA17082@apps1.channel1.com>
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Rex Ballard wrote:
> 
> COMPANY:              Standard & Poor's
> NAME:                 Rex Ballard
> POSITION:             Director of distribution
> EMAIL:                rballard@access.digex.net
> PERMISSION:           on
> LOCATION:             New York, NY, USA
> 
> SERVERS:              2-10
> USERS:                11-50
> 
> APPLICATIONS:
> I have been coaching and guiding over 5000
> publishers on getting on the Web.  Many use
> Linux as Firewalls, Gateways, or Web Servers.
> 
> The main advantage of Linux systems is that there
> are very low startup costs, no per user license
> fees, and the upgrades come regularly.  In
> addition to a Fire-wall at S&P, UBIC uses Linux
> for Gateway & Front-End.  Several Independent
> ISPs such as SuperLink, use it for terminal
> servers.
> 
> SIZING:
> Volumes on Linux systems range from 25,000 hits
> per day to several thousand hits/hour.
> 
> RELIABILITY:
> The key question is relative to what?  Relative
> to a Sun SparcServer with RAID1 drives, Linux
> leaves a bit to be desired.  Linux needs to be
> rebooted about every 30 days (to clear out
> defunct processes or zombies).  The SPArcServer
> has almost 1 gig of memory compared to the
> typical Linux box's 32 Meg.
> 
> Compared to a Windows NT machine.  The NT seems
> like a bouncing ball.  The NT machine will
> hang or require reboot 10 to 20 times more often
> than the Linux Box.
> 
> The other big thing is mean time to repair (MTTR)
> is much quicker on Linux.  Often, the machine does
> not have to be rebooted (individual processes can
> be managed without booting the system).  The support
> staff can connect remotely and do most functions
> without ever going into the "Computer Room".
> 
> SATISFACTION:         Very Satisfied
> COMMENTS:
> The most frustrating thing about Linux is that
> there always seem to be upgrades.  Just about
> the time We get the ELF kernal installed, there's
> a new release with JAVA supportt built in.
> Red Hat is "Glitzier" and easier to install.
> It is also the most "Commercial", getting
> support from Word Perfect, Applix, SpyGlass,
> and other commercial vendors.
> 
> Slackware is more Versitile and supports more
> 3rd party hardware and applications.
> 
> ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
> I first found out about Linux back in 1992.  I
> assumed it would go the way of Minux (It's parent).
> By 1993, the support for X11, xview, and a variety
> of other famliar applications that normally could
> only be run on a $20,000 Sun workstation, along
> with consistant satisfaction among users convinced
> me to try it.  The first copy was downloaded via
> the internet (taking over 18 hours over several
> days).  Then I tried commercial CD-ROM releases
> from Soft Landing Systems (SLS), Plug-n-Play,
> Slackware, and Red Hat.  The latter two have been
> the hottest contenders.

Thank you for your response.
-- 
Bob Breedlove, the WebGuy
E-mail  : breedlov@netcom.com
HomePage: http://www.channel1.com/users/rbreed01/
BBS     : BOBsBBS, 916-929-7511
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