Windows cheaper than Linux, says Microsoft

vnunet ^

[chance33_98]

Windows cheaper than Linux, says Microsoft By Rob Jones at the Gartner Symposium, Cannes [05-11-2002]

European chief argues that total cost of ownership is lower

Microsoft has dismissed claims that Linux is more cost-effective for businesses, arguing that Windows is cheaper over its total lifecycle.

When asked by Gartner about Microsoft's intensifying battle against the open source operating system, European president Jean-Phillipe Courtois claimed that Linux is in fact more expensive to run than Windows.

Arguments that Linux is free, and therefore a good alternative for governments and organisations on a tight budget, are incorrect, he said.

Courtois claimed that Microsoft has been tracking the total cost of ownership (TCO) in 12 organisations across a range of business sectors, and that in 95 per cent of cases the "TCO was better on the Windows platform".

Licensing costs account for just five per cent of the total cost of an operating system, he said, and those plumping for Microsoft have an easier life in terms of application integration both internally and with external business partners.

But Courtois was challenged by Peter Sondergaard, Gartner's president of research in Europe.

He argued that the perception among chief information officers is that Linux and open source software is more cost-effective than Windows and Microsoft's Office applications.

"I do expect that some of your clients are looking for a response on licensing or more flexibility in the packaging," he said.

Courtois replied: "As soon as you start digging down you go beyond licensing. It's not that we are perfect with licensing; we need to make it simpler. But it's about the end-to-end environment."

He claimed that, with such a rich diversity of software applications and hardware devices now on the market, companies can achieve tighter integration by using Windows.

However, there is growing interest in Linux in the public sector. Last month, West Yorkshire police took delivery of Linux desktops as part of a trial for the operating system for English and Welsh forces.

And the European Commission handed open source advocate Netproject a €250,000 (£160,000) contract to conduct a feasibility study into running the operating system in government departments.

[Robert_Paulson2]

roflmao...

windoze cheaper?

[chance33_98]

Ping for some good posts :)

[Crispy]

LOL. But what else would you expect them to say.

[goldstategop]

LOL!!! Installed Lindows 2.0 this weekend on my old laptop and it simply beats Windows Me. And the Click N Run Werehouse is cool - I just download and install the Linux apps I want plus there are nearly 2,000 products on the company's website and growing. Who needs Windoze? Lindows can't be beat for $99 and I have a two year membership and can't wait to download the General Release version 3.0 via Click N Run when it finally does come out.

[elbucko]

I don't think Total Cost of Ownership, TCO, is really the issue of operating systems. The issue is one that is more like language. For the time being, BillGatesMicrosoft, owns the equivalent of the Latin language and has the only dictionary like the Catholic church in the Middle Ages. The English language became successful because it was "open source" rather than "licensed" as is Windows.

Gates/Windows is his/its own worst enemy as the history of languages shows. Latin once ruled an empire, now it's a "dead" language.

[NativeNewYorker]

Alfred E. Gates says, "What? Me Worry?"

[null and void]

windoze cheaper?

Makes sense

Cheap adj ... 6. of little value or poor quality; virtually worthless 7. deserving of scorn; contemptable (Webster's New World Dictonary second college edition)...

[templar]

I agree. If anyone actually comes out with an OS, or can somehow make linux actually run all the windows and old DOS apps out there, Microsoft will disappear almost overnight. I don't know anyone who actually likes Gates or Microsoft, they just dislike the alternatives more.

[Gorzaloon]

LOL!!! Installed Lindows 2.0 this weekend on my old laptop and it simply beats Windows Me.

Well, yeah...Windows ME versus Lindows (or just about anything else) is like the Girl Scouts versus the Hell's Angels!

[Glutton]

Lindows was supposed to provide an OS that ran 'Windoz' applications. The link in this post is to Lindows.Com if anyone is curious about this new product.

I believe the evil empire run by Gates lost the lawsuit over the name simularity to 'Windoz.' I plan on getting a copy of it to try it out this next year.

I only use 'Windoz' 98SE when I use that OS. I consider it to be the OS I used to use most often. Now I look forward to never using it again.

I expected this spin in this article to be played by MicroSoft. After all, we all were dumb enough to fall for this company's product once.

Unfortunately for MicroSoft, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of them all of the time.

MicroSoft's product is bad, paranoid garbage I am weary beyond belief of.

[LibWhacker]

Right, and islam is a religion of peace.

[The Duke]

Beside, Linux is new and fun....Windows is old (yawn) and boring! I think the movers and shakers have forgotten that
the computing revolution has the pursuit of fun at its
roots.

[goldstategop]

Lindows in its early days promised to make Linux compatible with Windows programs. That's been abandoned since Windows programs even under WINE don't run 100% perfect in Lindows. The company's new strategy is to create a pure Linux desktop operating system and allow users to download need apps from their werehouse - without once ever using Microsoft products. Its a really cool operating system and is stable - I haven't once seen a blue screen of death since installing it. For the record, I uninstalled WINE with the help of the KDE Package Manager since there's no point to running Windows in Linux. You should try it out and I can recommend version 2.0 which has gotten great reviews, without reservation. The next version to be released sometime later this month should be even better.

[Gee Wally]

I think I'll be trying the Xandros distribution, which I understand Lindows is based on. Xandros just released their distro and it sounds pretty solid for weaning one's self from Windows. It even does some Windows programs, e.g., Word. Here's a review:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,651908,00.asp

I am currently running a pre-packaged Linux server, SME Server (formerly E-Smith Server & Gateway) with NT and Win98 machines. It's a very nice, easy to use server package for those who'd like to move away from NT (or 2000 for that matter). And it must be very easy to configure and maintain if I got it up and running (as I am a Linux newbie). I'm looking forward to moving the client machines to Xandros.

It seems like Linux is really gaining momentum now and Microsoft will be hard-pressed to thwart the momentum. If you look at packages like SME Server and Xandros, MS's TCO argument, vis a vis, more IT staffing requirements doesn't seem to me to hold water.

Except for the kids' Windows games, I can't think of any reason to keep Windows on any of our boxes.