Windows to Linux Conversions

Overview		The Artige Company is actively promoting the conversion of Windows* applications to utilize open source-based resources, and providing services to assist other companies in their effort to reduce their operating costs. Our experience has found that open source applications can be constructed to an industrial strength level using readily available technologies. These technologies are the same ones that have been deployed on proprietary platforms, except that there is no upfront cost required to obtain the desired functionality. Especially considering the fact that many enterprise applications require database capability, one would be hard pressed to justify procuring a proprietary SQL-capable system. As an added benefit, we have found that open source technologies rely upon simpler algorithms and practices than proprietary resources, making for an overall more satisfying construction, deployment and maintenance experience.
		Specifically, we have been converting Windows* DNA applications to run on the Red Hat** or Fedora Core operating systems. The prime candidates are those applications still running on Windows* NT servers since Microsoft is no longer supporting that OS for free, but Windows 2000 systems are candidates too. By the term Windows* DNA applications, we mean those COM / DCOM applications that most often accessed SQL Server databases through ADO. They would have been written using Visual Basic or perhaps Visual C++ languages. If the Windows* DNA application were an Internet or web-based application, then an IIS server would have been part of the picture, running ASP web pages.
		In addition to converting old Windows application to run on Linux platform, we are now currently targeting the Linux platform for new applications. This is being done for both traditional x86 architecture applications and also for our embedded processor products.
		So what does a Windows* to Linux application conversion entail? To start with, we use a one-to-one mapping of technologies as follows:

		Windows*	Red Hat** or Fedora Core
		SQL Server	PostgreSQL
		T-SQL	pl/pgsql
		IIS	Apache
		ASP	JSP
		COM	Java Beans
		Visual Basic	Java
		MFC	GTK/Glade

		We will review the application, looking for opportunities to make improvements and see where migration from binaries to text-based facilities can be made. This is one of the strengths of Linux, in that text-based processing allows for everyone working on the system maintenance to use the tools they are familiar with. Plus it allows the application to be integrated with many different types of open source technologies, including the suite of Internet processing languages from the W3C, such as HTML, XML and XSLT.
		If appropriate, we can review the entire business processes related to the application being converted, to see if there are any efficiencies that can be distilled. This might be an opportunity for you to leverage the Artige Company's operations research skills to your advantage. No sense in just converting an application if it is not meeting business needs at the moment
		If you are interested in having a Windows* application converted to run on the Linux Platform, or wish to have a native Linux application written, just call us at 717-354-5541, or drop us a line at sales@artige.com. We would be delighted to have the opportunity to review your project and provide a quote for you.
		** - Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc.
		* - Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

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Last updated: 13-February-2005 21:32z