[aprssig] Smart TNC's vs. KISS and computers was (no subject)

[Scott Miller]

> I myself run a Linux based igate.  I'd NEVER run something as unreliable
> as windows (any version) for something important like packet radio.
> I can't see how the winlink people think that windows is good enough for
>  emergency coms.  I don't want to bet my life (or some one else) on
> Little Billy's OS.
>
> Even though I run APRSd on my Linux server, I still run the TNC (KPC3+)
> so that it is doing all the RF work.  All my computer does is play igate.

I run APRSd on Linux with a KPC3 (non-plus).  I'd have to say that Windows
NT or 2000 would probably be just fine, if anyone would write packet
software as a service, divorced from all the GUI components of the OS,
rather than as a desktop application.  In the same rack as the Linux box,
I've got a Windows 2000 server that's been chugging along as long as the
Linux box, running Oracle, some web services, and occasionally an APRS IS
listener service.  The Linux server's downtime has only been less because of
software patches - Linux is a lot better about letting you apply patches
without rebooting.

Of course, the best thing about running Linux for services is that you can
easily pare down the system to the bare minimum you need.  Windows gives you
a lot of stuff whether you want it or not.  And Linux isn't perfect - I
wouldn't be comfortable connecting a couple of Linux boxes to my external
RAID array and running high-availability clustering yet.

That's what I've got OpenVMS for.  =]

Scott
N1VG