Choices, Choices, Choices....

For the past decade plus years, Radford City Schools has used Novell Netware as infrastructure storage and user management and throughout this time it has worked.  It gave us no problems that could not be fixed by downloading a patch.  But as always, all good things must come to an end.  Novell announced a couple of years ago that it will be discontinuing Netware and replacing it with a new Linux based Open Enterprise System (OES), and I thought "Cool, Linux!". After evaluating it for two years, I think we are going in a different direction.  I mean people go to Linux because it is cheap (in cheap I mean FREE). But we were having to pay for it since Novell owned it. The maintenance part of Linux isn't much better either, everything is command-line, not that it's any different from the old Netware. But if you are not familiar with the Novell version of Linux and their OES addons, it can be a bit formidable. When you go online and research your problem within Novell's website, you will find that there is never an answer for your problem.  Now I am not saying Novell's product is bad, in fact their Linux is good, but I feel there may be easier, cheaper alternatives available.  Now enters "Big Softy".
Microsoft server offered all I could possibly want from a network operating system: manages my users, stores their stuff, updates (which we all know, all too well), compatibility with other network devices, and tons of information.  Did I mention ease of use, if you can use a Windows Desktop OS's then server will be no problem.  All of this, and did you know that over a 3 year period Microsoft was even cheaper than Novell.  What's not to love?

Adventures in Technology at RCPS (Administration POV)

Good Day to all you information gathering geeks. In the follow excerpts of this website you will find technology ideas that I have discovered, utilitzied, and crap that I have just dreamed up. At anytime please feel free to comment, we can't learn from each other unless a discussion is going on.  So without further adieu, here is the talking stick!