On Tuesday 18 September 2001 16:37, you wrote:
> Is postgreSql really suitable for this use?
> EASY and TROUBLE-FREE in every respect. The system is used by office
> administrators, and we prefer that they should not need any help from any
> technical people to install it, or to handle routine day-to-day activities.
> Nearly all such environments are Windows networks, so we have no real
> choice of OS. So my questions...
Uh, you have choices. My advice after > 20 years sysadmin is keep your
Windows client boxes if you like, but definitely go for a Unix/Linux server
if you value your data and need uninterrupted service.
Your database server does not need a GUI (it shouldn't even have one for
ressources and robustness sake - why on earth would anybody want a GUI on a
server which is supposed to run locked away without mouse, monitor and
keyboard anyway???).
As you cannot set up a decent server without knowledge (neither NT/2k nor
Unix/Linux), you gotta learn something no matter what - why not go for the
real thing then?
As far as ease of setup goes, I challenge anybody to let a naive user set up
an e-smith Gnu/Linux distribution - takes maximum 30 minutes and runs right
out of the box without any hassles. Installing postgres on it from rpm takes
another minutes, and then you have peace of mind. Nobody can ever install
NT/2k from scratch in as little time with that little knowledge as required
by e-smith.
Horst
