Linux and VMware add up for Connecticut nonprofit

Look, unless you're a mindless zealot, you realize that the software license costs are only the beginning of your costs. Linux administration ain't cheap.

Im sure they are lying about saving money Bushie... Just keep sticking those fingers in your ears and singing real loud the praises of Microsoft..

A unix admin can watch far more servers than a windows admin can (though that gap is narrowing from NT->2K->2K3). That and the fact vmware itself will reduce the load on admins and I doubt they are spending a whole lot more..

Most IT consulting companies will charge about 1.2 to 1.3 times as much for a Unix Admin as a windows admin but Ive seen companies apply less than an FTE to maintain about twenty *nix servers..

Im sure they are lying about saving money Bushie...

Face it. They're not talking about administration costs. They're talking about the cost of the licenses. How about the salaries of the 'nix admins, eh?

A unix admin can watch far more servers than a windows admin can (though that gap is narrowing from NT->2K->2K3). That and the fact vmware itself will reduce the load on admins and I doubt they are spending a whole lot more..

Nothing like a little hyperbole...

Most IT consulting companies will charge about 1.2 to 1.3 times as much for a Unix Admin as a windows admin but Ive seen companies apply less than an FTE to maintain about twenty *nix servers..

The personnel costs aren't included in the savings. It's going to cost more to either hire a 'nix admin or train the old one. Nor is training. You have to train the users how to use the software. This costs money. So, in fact, the purported savings are bogus and you know it. No CTO/CIO worth his salt would take these kinds of figures at face value.

Face it. They're not talking about administration costs. They're talking about the cost of the licenses. How about the salaries of the 'nix admins, eh?

I don't know what companies you have worked for but every place I have worked has always included admin salaries when talking about "IT costs"... I don't know maybe your places don't properly budget...

Nothing like a little hyperbole...

What part the part about a unix admin being able to take care of more servers, the part about windows getting better, or the part about VMware making administration easier?

The personnel costs aren't included in the savings.

And you know this how?

It's going to cost more to either hire a 'nix admin or train the old one.

Thats because Unix admins are more skilled ;)... But seriously how do you know they done contract out their operations? how do you know they cant go from 3 admins to two? what exactly do you know about this operations to make that blanket statement?

You have to train the users how to use the software.

And you know their software is not web based how? how exactly do you know they are not running j2ee webapps on weblogic or websphere that can be hosted on either *nix or windows... Again what insight do you have into their user desktops and the applications used to say they are lying about saving money?

So, in fact, the purported savings are bogus and you know it.

All you have done is said they are bogus... You claim Linux people are zealots and yet I will say that in different environments you're going to want to use different things depending on what your needs are. You, on the other hand, do nothing then spout off the windows is the one true solution.

Please tell me what about their internal systems do you know that you can say they are lying? Do you know about there internal apps? do you know what servers they moved over to *nix and whet they set up as virtual boxes running windows? do you know they don't contract out their operations? what do you know about this specific company to call them liars. Please let me and the SEC know..

No CTO/CIO worth his salt would take these kinds of figures at face value.

No they would ask:

How is this affecting their HR budget? do they contract out operations or are they training (2,000$ for a redhat boot camp) one senior admin to do the architecture and the others to use the Linux admin tools like webmin to maintain?

They might also ask:

What kind of applications are they running that they achieve these savings? web based? Thick Swing? Powerbuilder? what kind of database were they using on windows? oracle, Informix? SQL Server?

You did not ask or pose any of these *questions* you called them liars, said there is no way they can be saving money put your fingers in your ears and sang 'God save the Redmond King'..