“Everyone has heard of Linux by now. Everyone seems to have
an opinion. Many people would like to try using it, but getting
started isn’t easy. I’ve found a Linux server product from a small
company in Ottawa that is extremely useful, and makes it easy to
get into Linux. In fact, it makes it so easy that you can
avoid learning about Linux, and concentrate on reaping its
benefits.”
“The e-smith server & gateway is a customized version of the
Red Hat distribution. All of the flexibility has been taken away.
The installation procedure scrubs the hard disk, and takes it over
completely. At the end of the process, the computer is an Internet
gateway, a mail server, and a file, Web and collaboration server.
That’s it. Nothing more. It can’t be used to run other applications
or for any other purpose. This enhances its performance and
stability, but makes it impossible to evaluate unless you’re
prepared to dedicate a computer to the job.”
“The developers have simplified the standard Linux installation
by making decisions in advance. They have decided how to partition
the disk, how to organize directories, which server packages to
install, and how to set permissions and security.”