s why Internet companies have such huge potential profits compared to, say, newspapers. But NT gets a lot of flak for not being as scalable as a Unix system. Linux advocates were outspoken about its superior scalability. NT owners don't necessarily agree. They point out that NT systems need to be scaled differently than Unix systems. Also, scaling large systems requires expertise as well as the right parts. For sites less high profile than these, though, getting the right staff, hired guns, or vendor support to plan and execute a rapidly scalable system could be a lot harder. Linux's architecture, on the other hand, resembles the Unix systems that large-scale sites have been using since the early '80s. Really good Unix developers and administrators are expensive, but if you're willing to pay for it, you can hire someone who has lived and breathed Unix since the '70s. Top-notch NT people are rarer, however, because NT is newer and less widespread - and the few I've talked to are all former Unix hackers who switched over in the past three years. When it comes to making your site successful, though, a friend of mine, reminded me that a particular choice of technology isn't what makes or breaks a site. "Remember who your customer is”. It's not you or the VP of technology. What matters most, isn't whether you or your friends like your operating system but whether you can use it as a platform to deliver what your customers will want. ...
