Subj : Re: Win4lin
To   : Tracker1
From : Sam Alexander
Date : Fri Sep 30 2005 09:02 am

  Re: Re: Win4lin
  By: Tracker1 to Sam Alexander on Fri Sep 30 2005 12:03 am

 > Sam Alexander wrote:
 > > Linux is an entirely different world, and not for one who doesn't want to
 > > spend some time learning something new.  For folks who just want to run a
 > > BBS and don't mind the headaches that accompany running Windows, that's
 > > fine.  But for computer hobbiests who truly want that extra level of contr
 > > over their computer which Windows can't offer, Linux is the only way to go
 > 
 > What *extra* headaches, if you have a router/firewall and only allow the
 > bbs ports to the bbs, don't see the issue.. for a personal desktop, a bit
 > of planning, and knowledge helps.. It is possible to run a virus/spyware
 > free windows system/network.

For someone who has a dedicated WIndows PC with only the OS and the BBS 
software (no virus or malware scanners, MS Office, nothing else) and a 
router I bet it would run okay.  But how many folks have a dedicated PC for 
such a task?  Even opening IE and visiting certain sites on the BBS box is 
opening the possibility for crap to be downloaded and cause problems.

From my experience with PC's in general, for any server to run reliably it 
must do the single task only...  You're right, with some planning and care 
it 'might' be possible to run the BBS on a used workstation, but I know for 
me personally with all the stuff I do and run on my box, it'd greatly effect 
the performance of the BBS.  All it takes is one virus or one piece of 
spyware to hose the box, and it happens to everyone at some point.

Like I've said, my BBS sits in the corner of my living room with no monitor 
or anything.  The only way I know it's there is when it beeps when someone 
logs in :)  When I find an app I wnat to install, I just SSH in and download 
it with wget (copying URL from browser on laptop).  Outside of that, nothing 
else runs on the BBS box.

Sam

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"Data is not information, Information is not knowledge, Knowledge is not
understanding, Understanding is not wisdom." -- Cliff Stoll
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