One of the biggest questions a new CEO has to answer when starting up a web business is “What OS should I use?”. Once again, more questions need to be asked before making that decision. So before we begin with the questions, lets make sure we all know what we’re talking about. The operating system (OS) is a layer in computers that exists between the hardware and the software. The OS’s job is to move information and instructions between programs and the hardware components. A quick example is going to a web page. First you tell the web browser to go to www.toptenwholesale.com. The web browser then tells the OS to talk to the network card and passes on the information of what site is needed. The OS then handles the transaction between the network card and the remote site and passes the returned information back up to the browser, which then displays the page.
Onto the question at hand. In the small to mid-size business range you’ll find three choices for your OS. They are Windows (ms), Mac and linux. Each has pluses and minuses depending on what the computer is doing. Lets take a look at each by the machine type.
Desktop:
Windows: As much as I hate to say it, Microsoft Windows seems to be the best. The only reason, I repeat, the only reason to use Windows is because everyone else in the business world is using it. I have found the Windows OS to be the most frustrating and dangerous OS implementation out there. How many of you have lost productivity when your Windows box crashes and has to be re-installed? How many of you have gotten a virus or worm running Windows, potentially stealing important data? My advice is to run PCs, with Windows, behind a firewall and never ever run outlook (unless its the web based version).
Mac: I like mac a lot. The newer machines run a rock solid OS called X10. Unfortunately, the biggest gripe I hear from businesses that use mac desktops is that they can’t run/open files sent to them from the rest of the business world. The only exception I have found to this are graphic houses (companies that specialize in print and graphic media). Mac has always had “emulators” that try to run like Windows, but they’re just not there yet.
Linux: I really love Linux on my PC. But I am a geek and spend countless hours tinkering and learning about my computer. Once again, the lack of linux support and the domination of Windows makes it so that this is not the best option for a company. Although, if your looking at your bottom line, you might want to consider it. Linux is a free software where as Windows runs between $80 – $250 per license.
Server:
Linux: Hands down the winner!! Once again it is a “free” (redhat charges a license fee for their enterprise release) solution that works great. Linux is a form of UNIX, which is an OS thats been around since the 60′s. I’ve had my own personal web server up and running for over 2 years!! (To those of you in the Windows world, believe it or not, but you don’t have to reboot your box every time something goes wrong or something needs to be changed). Another wonderful thing about linux is the community support. There are literaly thousands of websites that will give you howto’s (documents on how to set up or run) and chances are, if you have a problem, you’ll find a link to someone who had the same exact problem and found a solution.
Windows: HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Ok, I needed that laugh. So far I have found only two reasons why a company would ever run the Microsoft server software. 1. The company enjoys wasting time and money on expensive and faulty software. 2. A slick Microsoft salesperson convinced them that its what the company needs. Either way, if you decide to run Microsoft, you’ll need a very expensive system admin (who will usually only be able to reboot the box to fix the problem) and you’ll be shelling out hundreds if not thousands for the software license.
Mac: I haven’t heard of anyone running server software using macs, but it should be very possible seeing how the 10X os is a unix operating system. I imagine that at some point Apple will be getting into the server market, but we shall see.
