any updates on this, gacain? i'm in suspense.

We've switched more to Windows (away from BSD/Linux) due to difficulty getting the right featuresets on the *nix end. Definitely lose stability and performance of the apps, but being able to do something slowly, 98% of the time is better than not being able to do it at all! Too bad, I much prefer *nix servers, but the cost of adapting them to our needs would make it cost more than Windows does

Just out of interest what featuresets where those that were missing from Linux/BSD?

We run a large accounting package, and we couldn't find anything on the *nix side that supported all the same modules that we need. We have a Windows fileserver as Samba was unreliable with Active Directory 2003 native mode (I hear it's better now, but what we have is currently working pretty well so I'm not going to take a chance again until we NEED a new fileserver). We went from Sendmail/IMAP/POP3 on BSD to SLOX to try to pick up some features, but then we had to switch from SLOX e-mail to Exchange due to lack of features and "things that just didn't work right".

Hoping to be able to move from MS SQL server to PostGreSQL for some of our projects later on, but the bad thing about that is that it will be an *additional* platform as we can't replace the SQL server that the accounting package lives on. Adding more types of software generally increases support costs, but our hope is that the reliability will make up for it. I won't get into the timeclock, faxserver, and all the other things that couldn't find suitable products for, or we tried and failed on *nix...

On the plus side, we do have Web, DNS, TFTP, and other basic Internet services on *nix, so those are quite reliable. We also have SCO Unix for an internal app, but that'll be moving to Windows (Java). Wanted to run it other places than Windows, but had issues with Java making the screen layouts go all goofy on Linux & Mac (we use gridbag, no special items at all, but some things just don't layout the way you tell them to on Linux and Mac), so we're only going to support Java apps on Windows. The laggy support of Java on Linux is also a killer. We need Java2 v5, and have noticed that distros are still coming with Java2 v4... Having to mess around and try and get v5 on them has proven to be more trouble than it's worth (and it still doesn't fix the goofy screen layout problems)...

interesting! Thanks for posting that, that's some good info.

Thanks again for all of your help and for your interest.

The consultant was here a week and a half ago - a decent guy. Has both Linux and Windows servers in his shop. We talked for a bit and then I gave him a short tour of the facilities. Afterwards I took him to the boss's office. He said he'd be sending the boss an email with his findings, but that we didn't have any serious problems. The boss then told him, "Well, you've heard from all of us, I'd also like you to hear from some of the dissenters." So, apparently, even this guy's opinion is not as valid as the guy who's creating the problem.

This has just become laughable.

I don't know if the meetings between the "dissenters" and the consultant have happened yet - haven't heard anything about it since that meeting.

Thanks again for your most kind support - I will post again when I know something more.

Best,

Greg

He does computer rendering? Then show him this:
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6011

From an endless list of the benefits of a linux server (as oposed to Windows) are:

1. No viruses. And I am being realistinc here--install Linux and Windows on 2 machines, connect them to the 'net at the same taime and see which one gets slammed first.
2. The "patch" syndrome--every time there's an MS patch, you gotta install AND reboot. How's that for a uptime reliable server OS?
3. LInux server software costs nothng. Try upgrading an MS server OS for free. And there will be the need to upgrade, its not one-time expense.
4. Upgrading the hardware--a Linux install will continue to run fine on a different hardware (motherboard change, etc) without reinstall. Try that with Windows machine and you will see all sorts of blue screens. With linux you can simply bring your HDD to another computer, plop it in and fire it up --it works.
5. Automation--a simple cronjob can do wonders. Try to do that in WIndows, where almost all software is GUI based.

These are only a few I could think of for now, but to me for a server where any downtime should be nonexistant or at most very minimal, Linux is the way to go.

From hat the OP said it looks like thes newcomer is an one-app wonder. Take him away from his rendering app and he will be like a fish out of the water. People who can not adapt to an existing set of tools to do what's being asked of them are not worth having. There, I consulted for free

if i were trying to shut a guy up without making a "winner" or "loser" of a disagreement (because it might cause unnecessary friction in the workplace), i'd do exactly what your boss is doing.

Workplace wars. You gotta love em.

Something very wrong when the boss takes a shine to the new boy and basically blows off his long term guy.

Its amazing how far an a** kisser can go.

Some people are amazing at manipulating the management.
From experience, you have a tough row to hoe when dealing with a** kissers. Most bosses love em.

You will have to cool your heels and wait for him to fall out of favour or find new employment if it bugs you too much.

Sometimes you have to swallow your pride to keep the paycheck coming in. After all, that is the most important thing.

Good luck.

Sorry gacain but I am exactly in your position.

I would like that you explain what kind of CAD you're working on.

I know all of the linux users like to show how great the things you make on linux are better but there is something much more important at work. It's efficencey. Efficiency does not mean, how efficient the software you work on is, but how good everything is including your knowladge about that software...

Autodesk for instance does not support since 1992 or sth anything linux or mac or not even older Windows systems. Autocad 2004 didn't work at all on NT4 and Windows ME (there was a hack to make that work), and so on (there is a 2005 and 2006 version).
All those including 3DSmax are so expensinve, they don't bother holding you with the latest enhancement from Microsoft with its Office. For instance those are compatible with excel for their spreadsheet but nothing else other than standard databases, especially Oracle on Windows Server or something very sophisticated needing to run autodesk kernels on a windows machine with scripts and the database on some unix or macos system.

It's very easy then to complain but Windows Server and Windows if you run Autodesk software is the best choice. Lame but still best.
And do not even consider to replace Autodesk products since tyou may have all your data in their proprietary format nearly never fully translated by any none Autodesksoftware (even pretending so).