iTools Value Less for Linux Users

 
 
By Jim Rapoza  |  Posted 2004-09-13 Email Print this article Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

iTools for Red Hat Linux and Fedora Linux don't provide the same level of value for open-source operating system users as their Mac OS counterpart.

In my review last year of Tenon Intersystems iTools 7 for Mac OS X, I found the product had some value for Mac OS X users, with its ability to ease management of the Apache Web server and its inclusion of useful server add-ons such as DNS, an e-mail server, an FTP server and secure connections.

However, the recent releases of iTools 7.2 for Red Hat Linux and iTools 7.3 for Fedora Linux dont provide the same level of value for open-source operating system users. Yes, iTools for Red Hat and iTools for Fedora provide the same added server capabilities as their Mac OS X counterpart, and the browser-based administration interface is fairly intuitive and simple to use .

But these additions dont play as well on Linux as on Mac OS X. First, Linux has these server capabilities for free. And, in general, Linux users are more comfortable performing the standard file-based configurations for Apache.

In addition, on Linux, iTools faces competition on the commercial side from Covalents superior Apache management tools. On the free open-source side, tools such as Webmin are in many ways better than iTools.

However, at $99, iTools for Linux is less than one-third of the cost of iTools for Mac OS X.

For more information, go to www.tenon.com.

Check out eWEEK.coms Linux & Open Source Center at http://linux.eweek.com for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

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Jim Rapoza, Chief Technology Analyst, eWEEK.For nearly fifteen years, Jim Rapoza has evaluated products and technologies in almost every technology category for eWEEK. Mr Rapoza's current technology focus is on all categories of emerging information technology though he continues to focus on core technology areas that include: content management systems, portal applications, Web publishing tools and security. Mr. Rapoza has coordinated several evaluations at enterprise organizations, including USA Today and The Prudential, to measure the capability of products and services under real-world conditions and against real-world criteria. Jim Rapoza's award-winning weekly column, Tech Directions, delves into all areas of technologies and the challenges of managing and deploying technology today.
 
 
 
 
 
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