Brazil Switches from Microsoft to 'Open Source' Software

[Tony]

This is probably the beginning with more to follow a major switch from
Microsoft Software

Read on....click on link....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3919175

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Tony;
Certainly not the beginning.
Just another in along list switching from Microsoft to open source as well
there is another long list of those switching back.
What the end result will be only time will tell.

 

[DaveH]

Tony;
Certainly not the beginning.
Just another in along list switching from Microsoft to open source as well
there is another long list of those switching back.
What the end result will be only time will tell.

I would be interested in seeing that list. Why would anyone implement a
Linux system and then switch to a MS based platform?

This is coming from a person who had to pay $200.00 last week to upgrade XP
Home to XP Pro. The greed of MS is unbelievable.

Dave H.

 

[David Candy]

Some studies show Unix clones to be more expensive. There are legal problems that MS indemnifies users against.

 

[Leythos]

I would be interested in seeing that list. Why would anyone implement a
Linux system and then switch to a MS based platform?

In reality, if you look at the cost of purchasing support with the Linux
installation, there is not much difference in startup costs. Since the
vendor only provides support for the Linux part of the installation you
don't also get phone support for the applications from the vendor.

As for maintenance, be it a Linux or Windows server, there is still
maintenance required and the Up time on properly configured servers is
very close (in our experience).

Installation time - it took me 4.5 hours to fully install FC3 and apply
all updates to the system via the net (over a 4mbps line), about the same
as a Windows based system takes with all of the applications (Office, etc..).

Compatibility with Office products: Word and Excel are the two most used
products on the market, many places do not accept documents unless they
are sent in Word format. OpenOffice (and open source) applications come
close to Word, but just don't quite cut if when formatting is involved.
Additionally, exporting from those apps to something that Word can read
and still retain the formatting is a crap-shoot many times.

Server performance/viruses - well, all I can say is that I personally have
been installing MS (and AIX) servers for a long time and I've never had a
MS server maintained by us that has been infected by a virus (and that
includes more than 1000 workstations also). While MS does enable some
serious bloat, and we don't need most of the eye-candy they provide, their
systems perform well on a properly configured workstation or server.

This is kind of like Out-sourcing IT work - everyone thought it was
cheaper until they found out the failure rate for large projects. I expect
that many places, like we do, will find that servers run great on OS
platforms and that the cost savings is not there, but neither is there an
added cost, and that until MS Office looses market share that they will
need to have some form of Windows emulation of run a Windows based
workstation.

 

[Winux P]

Too right Jupiter,

Worked for a company a while ago that did the Windows - Linux switch. Yes
indeed, how cheap we all thought, until it came to pay for credible support.
We then went straight win2K (from WinNT40 -> Linux SuSE & RedHat). Support
if we needed it cost $AUD 253.00 per support incidence from MS, never needed
it though.

2 cents worth
Winux P.

| Tony;
| Certainly not the beginning.
| Just another in along list switching from Microsoft to open source as well
| there is another long list of those switching back.
| What the end result will be only time will tell.
|
| --
| Jupiter Jones [MVP]
| http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/
|
|
| | > This is probably the beginning with more to follow a major switch from
| > Microsoft Software
| >
| > Read on....click on link....
| > http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3919175
|
|