Judge NT not Microsoft

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Microsoft has taken a lot of heat from developers, consumers, writers, janitors, and others concerning its Windows NT (soon-to-be Windows 2000—Win2K) Server OS product. People complain that NT is not robust enough, not scalable enough, buggy, and, in general, doesn’t add up to the capabilities of other server OSs such as Novell NetWare, UNIX, and Linux. I admit that NT deserves some of the criticisms hurled its way; however, some of these criticisms are unwarranted. A lot of gripes against NT often stem from misunderstandings about the product, hear-say, or hatred for Microsoft. What if NT didn't exist? What if Microsoft continued to develop only desktop or client OSs such as MS-DOS, Windows, Windows 95, and Windows 98? Somebody out there is thinking, "We'd be half happy because half the monopoly would be gone." But consider the facts before you answer.

You should judge any piece of software, including OSs, on its qualities, including usability, scalability, and robustness. Ask yourself the following questions about NT (not Microsoft) before you form an opinion:

Don't listen to the so-called experts. Taste the coffee for yourself and then make a decision for you, not for the whole world. If you don’t like NT or if another OS better suits your needs, you should use the other OS. If a combination of software suits you, use that combination if possible. I know that I contribute to Microsoft's bottom line by buying its products, but I also do the same for other companies from which I purchase items on a regular basis. You should judge NT on its own merit, not on what you hear about Microsoft.

—Cleve Sharpe, OCP
[email protected]