Classnotes | UNIX02 | RecentChanges | Preferences When someone new to UNIX sees all the various UNIX-like systems they have to choose from, or when they see the many Linux-based systems they can pick from, or when they see the many, many, diversely different applications they can use on these systems, very often they will feel overwhelmed.
Some people think that this choice is a bad thing.... I, surprise surprise, do not share that opinion!
Why choice is good
It's very hard to predict exactly what you will need from an operating system. You may simply need a mail and webserver which is straight-forward to setup and maintain, or you may need to have a main-frame running thousands of instances of UNIX simultaneously. By having a choice in which software and which UNIX-variant you are using, you can finely tailor your solution to fit whatever need you may have.
Some specific cases follow:
Hollywood has gone Linux! Hollywood has discovered that Linux is not only ideal for rendering farms, but also for desktops doing prep-work for special effects. Most studios in Hollywood now employ a Linux of some sort, and virtually every major or semi-major motion picture made has been touched by Linux. See this one article of many on the subject: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=5472
As I have said, not everyone shares my opinion. If you would like to see a counter-argument (which does not have entirely valid points... be sure to read the comments) read this:
