>FWIW - NetWare 3.2 is a ROCK compared to ANY version of Windows on ANY hardware. But, then again, NetWare 3.2 does a subset of what an NT server tries to do. The good thing is, it does it EXTREEMLY well, and eficiently.
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Yep, and with a small network that doesn't really require NDS, stability is a lot more valuable than "creeping featuritis". It isn't as fast as the latest NetWare or NT version, in part because the drivers haven't switched to the newer driver models, but it meets our needs, doesn't break things, and doesn't demand that you use Novell's Client32 to get at its features - a big plus from my POV.
>>I think we've had good results more from where we spent our money than from inherent software stability. Where the money went on hardware seems to have been the really key issue in providing a stable environment. All the server
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>This is a key point. Linux, NT or NetWare... require two things...
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>1. Quality hardware that can stand up to the demands you intend to put on the server.
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>2. Someone that KNOWS what they are doing to set it up and maintain it properly.
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And add (3) a backup for the network guru so he can get some time off! The availability of reliable alternative hardware and NOS service companies is definitely a factor when we pick shat we're going to use at WI - it's especially the case in small shops that don't have their own support people on staff, and who don't want to be in the position of being captives of a vendor. Pricing stays competitive when the vendor knows you aren't being held at gunpoint.
>I always wonder why a company that has dozens of data entry people entering data every day (10 x 7 = $70 per hour) balk at spending $300 on a UPS and the $2000 or so a good RAID aray and digital full time backup cost.
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Where can you find good data entry people who cost just $7/hour? Even if that's their base salary, the cost is much greater - worker's comp, health benefit and the like, and you want to pay someone who's really gotten to know your business and systems enough so that they want to stay on-board. The people who've been doing customer service at our company with our on-line OE system for a number of years are worth their weight in gold, since they do more than just key stuff from an order form!
