why not OS X?

[Konstantin Riabitsev]

--=-IsYGsXaVeKO1WPPWnLML
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On Tue, 2002-06-04 at 16:08, Kenshin Black wrote:
> Tell me where can i download osX for free, how can i radically improve th=
e
> speed of Aqua, and how can i freely upgrade packages on this system=20

... and not get sued by Apple in the process while trying to make your
OS X system viable in a large department.

We looked at OS X and decided that it's a joke on any level besides a
home-user's machine. Any system where I have to GO and SIT DOWN in front
of the machine and actually click buttons to upgrade it... right-o. Note
that I'm not talking about anything you can install via fink -- I'm
talking about the "software updater" that updates the core system. Right
now someone has to be present there to click buttons to actually update
the box. Multiply it times 250, and you will understand why we don't
support it in the department.

Further along -- NFS implementation blows chunks. So does automounter.
But that's ok, I understand that they are just add-ons and OS X really
relies on SMB and Kerberos/LDAP. That's actually fine by me.

I am more concerned with the speed of security patches -- it took Apple
over 4 weeks to actually push new version of ssh. That's simply
unacceptable! Other security issues were handled just as sluggishly. We
sit on internet2, so we are a VERY nice target for script-kiddies and
get scanned for vulnerabilities all the time. Having a glaring hole open
for a month without a way to patch it save turning it off... NO.

Anyway. OS X would be something I'd buy my mom to use at home, but
that's its niche right now. Maybe things will improve... but where it
stands right now, we will be happily running x86 Linux in our department
and get by with 2 sysadmins per 250 boxes for years to come.

Regards,
--=20
 0>  Konstantin ("Icon") Riabitsev
/ )  Duke University Physics Sysadmin
 ~   www.phy.duke.edu/~icon/pubkey.asc

--=-IsYGsXaVeKO1WPPWnLML
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name=signature.asc
Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

iEYEABECAAYFAjz9IioACgkQlVxa81EWb4jhSQCcDjPA661W45Yw9Z4expOSJrBH
EIQAn1l3ncQlcdf7wR0pDqD6WGUTp/YP
=7t4R
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--=-IsYGsXaVeKO1WPPWnLML--