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Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 16:16:13 -0500
From: Christopher Young <thoreau@iag.net>
To: lwn@lwn.net
Subject: Article about Linux in Windows NT Magazine

This is a quick note / review of an article in the November Issue of
Windows NT Magazine (www.winntmag.com).
Since Windows NT Magazine does not make their articles available onlin
for three months, I'll give everyone a quick review.

The Column is called "NT Intelligence" and the article is called
"Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk".  The author is David
Chernicoff.

The article begins by discussing the many new releases from Apple
(iMac), Novell (Netware 5.0), and the release of Windows NT (now called
Windows 2000) beta 2 which have started what the author calls the "OS
jihad" again.  The author recgonizes Novell's new approach with regard
to its operating system: integrate its tools and network services with
NT's to avoid direct competition.

Mr. Chernicoff then discussses how Microsoft often releases tools that
take the Microsoft approach of "integration is temporary" and how the
majority of its tools are meant to migrate a Netware network to NT.
Finally, after all of the NT / Netware talk. he gets to the Linux stuff.

Basically, the author discusses how his need for a 24x7, inepensive DNS
server led him to using Linux.  The author used two older machines to
create primary and secondary DNS servers for his network.  The author
then presents some information regarding the recent support Linux has
gotten from corporations like Oracle and makes some strong points in
Linux's favor.  However, as the article begins to close, the author
makes some interesting regarding the usability of Linux (as most
Windows-only people do) by statiing "With all the commercial support
building on Linux, an enterprising developer might even overcome the
awkwardness of using the OS on the desktop".

The author ends his article by noting that although Linux is maturing
rapidly, it will not be able to succeed until its advocates begin to
mature.  Although, SOME Linux advocates have some growing up to do, I
believe that majority of us are comfortable debaters.

Also, the author makes the point that in order for Linux to start
trampling on NT territory, it must integrate with NT.  This part I find
almost comical, considering development such as Samba 2.0, which will
not only make Linux capable of integrating with NT, but provide
(hopefully) the ability to REPLACE the NT Servers with Linux machines.
This is definitely a case where an uninformed individual is making
judgements without knowing all of the facts.

Overall, the article did not appear to go anywhere in particular, but it
shows that the NT world (as well as others) is starting to watch Linux
more and more.