Putting Up a Challenge

Story: Microsoft tries to seduce OSDL with joint Linux probeTotal Replies: 0
Author Content
Abe

Aug 24, 2005
5:27 PM EDT
MS "Get the Facts" wasn't taken seriously by the industry. It was a flop. MS was in the ring by itself throwing punches in the air. They want the OSDL to throw the marketing and advertising punches because they know the OSDL does not have the financial resource it takes to respond to MS. All MS and their clients requesting the analysis have to do is read the success stories published and they will see why FOSS is better and much lower cost. Those clients don't need any one else to give them the findings, they can make their own analysis like others did, tailored to their environment and business. It does not cost them much of anything except time. I am sure they can afford that. MS and OSDL will never be able to do testing and evaluation inclusive of all situations and environments. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the comparison, here a little fact for MS to consider. For a typical company of 1000 desktops, the cost of license ONLY per year:

Windows XP pro 1000*120 = 120,000. Windows server 20*400 = 8,000. Windows CAL 1000*30 = 30,000. Exchange Server 2*10000 = 10,000. Outlook 1000*80 = 80,000. Office Suite 1000*150 = 150,000. Access 100*120 = 12,000. Anti Virus 1000*40 = 40,000. SQL Server 5*2000 = 10,000. Misc etc. etc. = 30,000. -------------- Total licensing cost 490,000. Almost half a million a year. Why would anyone want to use MS products if they can use FOSS products for Free & free or for minimal support cost???

Well MS, these are facts, may be not very accurate, but very close. Can you dispute them? I guess not.

Changing platform and infrastructure is not an over night thing. If it wasn't for the lock-in, and the applications that are not available for Linux, everyone would be moving to FOSS immediately. Even if we assume that, it cost half a million for migration cost, a company will be saving half a million every year there after. Isn't time to start seriously looking into moving away form MS? I think many companies already know that and they are planning for it. They are already telling MS some of there thoughts. That is what is worrying MS.

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