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Infoworld October 14, 1996 - Linux operating system Cheap, powerful Red Hat Linux 4.0 has no Web-connection limits



http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayArchives.pl?dt_iwe42-96_89.htm

By Nicholas Petreley 


Publication Date: October 14, 1996 (Vol. 18, Issue 42) 

After looking at Red Hat Linux 4.0, I'm in awe of how quickly the Linux
operating system is moving forward. Last summer (see "Linux may give
reasons to remove Win95, NT from your desktop system," July 8, page 107) I
predicted that Linux, an already popular implementation of Unix, would
infiltrate mainstream corporate America. If Red Hat Software Inc. (and all
the unsung Linux contributors) continue advancing Linux at the present
rate, such widespread adoption is guaranteed.

Simply put, Red Hat is easily the best Linux version released to date. 
It's a must-try for users new to Linux and a must-have for veterans.

Up, up, and away

Red Hat's installation program makes it far easier to install than any
other version of Linux I've tried, including prior versions of Red Hat. It
shields you from enough complexity to keep it simple, yet it provides
enough options to satisfy Linux geeks.

Red Hat comes with the Apache Web server, one of the most popular servers
on the Internet. The server can be installed, configured, and set to run
automatically with no more than a click on a single check box during
system installation. Setup of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) services is
equally easy.

It's just as simple to add Web and FTP services after installation. That's
thanks to Red Hat's now famous -- among Linux users, at least --
installation and removal utility called Red Hat Package Manager.

The OS can be a network file system (NFS) server to Unix clients, and it
can provide native file and print services to any 16-bit or 32-bit Windows
client and AppleTalk services to Macintosh clients. Red Hat can also be
used as a client to NFS and NetWare.

Red Hat licenses and includes Metro Link Inc.'s accelerated X engine,
Metro-X, which supports a long list of display adapters. A number of video
cards I had problems with in Windows 95 and Windows NT (including the Elsa
Winner 2000 Pro and Matrox Millenium MGA) have enjoyed good support by
Metro-X for some time.

The Metro-X driver absolutely blazes on my Matrox Millenium MGA card. In
addition, Metro Link offers OpenGL for Linux separately if you want to
build 3-D graphics applications.

A pretty face and more

This version of Red Hat introduces a new version of FVWM, now called The
Next Level. FVWM is a window manager that is configured to look and feel
something like Windows 95, with cascading start menus, a task bar, and a
pager that lets you switch among a set of virtual desktops. Switching
between desktops on my machine is instantaneous, faster than anything I've
seen on Windows 95, Windows NT, or OS/2.

The Linux kernel used in this release of Red Hat supports symmetric
multiprocessing, a feature that brings Linux into the scalability big
league.

It also supports dynamic loading of support modules. That means you can
set up the system to load certain features, such as the capability to read
OS/2 High Performance File System (HPFS)-formatted drives, only when
needed.

Linux can read and write to a long list of file systems, including DOS
File Allocation Table (FAT), Virtual FAT (Windows 95/NT long file names),
and HPFS.  Free NT File System drivers are also available from a variety
of FTP sites.

One of the most important enhancements to this version of Red Hat is
support for pluggable authentication modules (PAM). PAM is a tremendously
flexible means of letting you choose the levels of security you want to
attach to any service your server provides -- from simple log-in to remote
access of applications and FTP services. Essentially, PAM paves the way to
soothe fears about Unix security.

A low price and easy installation make Red Hat the ideal alternative for
those who are put off by Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT Workstation license
agreement (which prevents you from using Windows NT Workstation as an
inexpensive Web server). Red Hat's processor scalability and multiplatform
support -- Alpha and Sparc versions are available -- make the argument for
Linux all the more compelling.

Nicholas Petreley (nicholas_petreley@infoworld.com) is editor at large at
InfoWorld.

Mainstreaming Linux

Although file and print services aren't new to Linux, in the past they've
been anything but simple to configure. InfoMagic Inc. fixes the problem
with a product called InfoMagic Workgroup Server.

For $75 you get the graphical tools necessary to make configuration a
no-brainer. In mere minutes, I installed the product and configured native
file and print services for my Windows and Macintosh clients. You can get
more information about Workgroup Server at http://www.infomagic.com.

Linux is also maturing as a mainstream client, as applications for the OS
appear from several fronts. Red Hat Software Inc. offers the Applixware
productivity suite (see Product Reviews, Aug. 5, page 84), and Caldera
Inc. (http://www .caldera.com) sells a suite for Linux that includes
WordPerfect for Unix.

Also, Star Division Corp. is planning to release a Linux version of its
powerful Star Office 3.1 suite. A beta version, which will be free to
noncommercial users, is available now. See http://www.stardivision.com for
more information.

The one thing that makes FVWM, Linux's default window manager, daunting is
that you have to edit text-configuration files to customize it to your
liking.  Workgroup Solutions Inc. (http://www.wgs.com) may help remedy
this when it releases a Linux version of Common Desktop Environment, a
Motif-based window manager available on several Unix platforms.

Look for a review in an upcoming issue of InfoWorld. 

THE BOTTOM LINE: EXCELLENT

Red Hat Linux 4.0

Red Hat, Red Hat Software's implementation of Linux, is the best Linux so
far. Big-league features such as broad device support and symmetric
multiprocessing make it a powerful yet inexpensive Internet and intranet
server that is remarkably easy to install, configure, and maintain.

Pros: Broad device support and symmetric multiprocessing; vastly improved
installation process; expanded documentation; better window manager; 
refined security features; inexpensive price. 

Cons: Too difficult to configure the window managers. 

Red Hat Software Inc., Durham, N.C.; (800) 546-7274, (203) 454-5500; fax: 
(203) 454-2582; sales@redhat.com; http://www.redhat.com.

Price: $49 for Intel, $99 for Alpha and Sparc. 

Platforms: Intel, Alpha, and Sparc. 




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