LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Brian Astill <brian.astill@flinders.edu.au>
  To  : linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au
  Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 00:01:43 +1000

WinDOS or Linux?

Any observations on the following?

I have two computers, one for communication (and as a backup), the other
for work-and-play.  At the moment, both are dual boot NT4/RH6.1.

The communication computer uses NT4/SP4 TalkWorks2/Winfax9 during the day
and runs a fidonet BBS overnight.  It also runs my dial-up networking stuff
for email news and web.  Talkworks can control both my modems and act as an
answering machine on one line and Fax machine on the other. Its FAX viewer
allows me to edit faxes, eg fill out forms and return. (it is also capable
of some other clever things I don't use much).
This system has been working well for some time, but I have to change my
BBS because the one I have been using is not Y2K compliant.
Q. Could I set up a Linux box, to do all that my NT setup could do just as
efficiently and easily as NT does?  Do you think it would be sensible for
me to do this, bearing in mind that setting up Linux communication 'from
scratch' would be a LOT harder than just setting up a new WinDOS BBS.

Complication:  I MUST continue to use NT for the forseeable future as there
are no equivalent Stats packages in Linux for those I use in NT.  This
means that the main computer will have to remain dual boot (perhaps VMWare,
though I only have 64M RAM?) unless the communications computer is a Linux
box.

Your comments/advice would be welcome.

Brian
  

Brian Astill,  Visiting Research Fellow
Flinders University Institute of International Education