RE: OT: What OS

["Ian Lowe" <ian@xxxxxxx>]

Not looking to start an OS-War, so just have athink about this..

>Oh sorry; forgot that whilst Apple Mac hardware can run Windoze,
>Wintel boxes can't run the Mac OSes...

And a lot of Windows boxes can't run windows *either* Windows is
developed
and tested on a tightly controlled hardware platform. If you buy
hardware
that is listed on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) then your
windows
will, from experience, be considerably more stable. Most hardware
manufacturers are just a little cavalier with the specifications. An
example
for me was a Compaq Server installation at Deutsche bank  all the kit
was
100% HCL, and the environment was change managed. We had over 50 NT4
servers
that had not crashed *once* in nearly two years. The only time they
were
powered down was for disk upgrades.

>As someone else said, much still running on BBCs; other schools
>finally kicking out the unreliable Wintel kit and installing stable
>RISC OS systems...

pah! /wave of paw

Wintel is only unreliable if you don't set it up correctly. Build win98
on
HCL kit, use poledit to lock it down tighter than a rats ass. (like,
for
instance, restricting the exe's which can run on the system, denying
all
access to control panels or registry, disabling floppy or CD access etc
etc)
voila.

People tinkering and installing junk is what breaks 90% of the windows
installations I look at. Of course, you need to have people who know how
to
secure an installation.

>And please don't trot out the line about Windows whatever version
>being 'the standard' - by the time nursery-age children reach
junior
>school it will be long obsolete.

I agree completely. The "standard" interface thing is ridiculous,
as windows
itself has changed so much in ten years as to be unrecognisable. And
besides, who wants to train a future generation of micro-serfs?

>Appropriate Technology - define the job, then use the right tool...

I agree, and contrary to what you might expect, I don't think that tool
is
*any* OS from Microsoft. or Apple. or RM for that matter.

My solution for UK schools would be for the government to settle on a
Linux
Distro, give it the "official" stamp, and roll it out by the
millions. Which
without a shadow of a doubt, given the budgetary restraints on schools
and
best return over time would be Linux on Intel.

Shame about the technical expertise (the one thing our government is
*never*
prepared to pay for) to develop such a system, and keep pace with bug
fixes.

ever and always, my opinions only.

Ian.

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