NT "user friendly?"  Excuse my while I stop laughing ..
If all you do is install a couple of shrink-wrap apps, sure.
Anything else and it's a nightmare.

Linux and/or FreeBSD (another free Unix variant) are far more robust and
stable.

This is an email gateway server that I maintain for an elementary school.
It runs FreeBSD 2.8 on a 486/66 and is quite adequate for the job:

(oge)~ ->uptime
 5:54AM  up 42 days, 15:51, 3 users, load averages: 0.08, 0.02, 0.01

The only reason the uptime is that short, is because that's when I installed
it.

I don't know how Linux is setup WRT application ports, but on FreeBSD it can't
be easier.  i.e. to install the Apache web server:

login
cd /usr/ports/www/apache13
make
make install

The make, fetches the tar file from wherever it lives, applies patches
compiles and installs a working default config.

- Frank

 >To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
 >
 >I think it's quite simple. NT is real user-friendly and takes very little
 >"in depth" working knowledge to run it. As with anything else in software,
 >there is usually a better way. It just depends on who's side your more
 >comfortable with or how much stock you have in the company. :-) Because
 >technology changes so rapidly, you need to evaluate new technology and
 >determine which is the best direction, with support, one wants to take their
 >company. The idea that every one is using it, is a poor example of keeping
 >up with changing technology. I believe that whatever operating system is
 >running, it will crash--nothing is perfect or foolproof.
 >
 >Bill
 >
 >-----Original Message-----
 >From: moon <moon@BINTERACTIVE.COM>
 >To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
 >Date: Wednesday, February 17, 1999 2:02 PM
 >Subject: Re: LINUX will double gerry's speed
 >
 >
 >>----- Original Message -----
 >>Subject: Re: LINUX will double gerry's speed
 >>>NT is the most popular server OS for good reason.
 >>
 >>yes, a well calculated reason.
 >>
 >>> Memory is dirt cheap, so
 >>>that's no issue at all.  NT, when set up properly, by somebody who knows
 >>>how, is a very stable platform.
 >>>
 >>>Bill (SE Arizona) (Bill@freeholder.com) HTTP://www.freeholder.com
 >>>----------------------------------------------------------
 >>>You can't do everything, but you can do something.
 >>>You can't help everyone, but you can help someone.
 >>>Even one candle helps to push back the darkness.
 >>
 >>if it's a memory hog, then throw more memory at it - is that the idea?
 >>how about, it's a memory hog, get some better software...
 >>
 >>moon
 >

\\\\////\\\\////\\\\\////\\\\\////\\\\////\\\\////\\\\////\\\\////\\\\////\\\\
Frank Terhaar-Yonkers
Cisco Systems, Inc.
TISU/NSITE
7025 Kit Creek Road  PO Box 14987
Research Triangle Park,  North Carolina  27709
fty@cisco.com   voice(919)472-2101 fx(919)472-5600