Linux costs 1/3 less, AT&T to switch?

According to an independant study Linux costs 30% less overall than Microsoft's Windows Operating System in the business market.

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The study, by Research and Markets, claims to provide a more detailed total cost of ownership calculation than previous efforts.

The study points towards savings potentials up to 30% depending on the application, including commonly used office applications.

The report also suggests that licence and operating costs savings turned open source into a genuine alternative.

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But wait, didn't Microsoft release a study saying Windows costs much more? (I think I might have even seem it on this site, hell, I think I'm looking at the ad right now :\)

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The study flies in the fact of an earlier pro-Microsoft study by IDC which is much touted by the spinsters in the Lair of the Vole in Redmond, which claimed that Linux was more expensive than Windows.

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Well, it seems Linux got some more good news today, when AT&T annonced that it was looking at alturnatives to the Windows Operating System for their desktop machines. While it is not for sure yet they will change, it would be a big boost for Linux in my eyes, if they switched to that.

As http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...lines-business reports,

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A decision by AT&T to abandon Windows would be Microsoft's biggest loss to the 13-year-old Linux system.

A surge in viruses and efforts to cut costs have driven customers to look for alternatives to Windows, which dominates the $10-billion market for PC operating systems.

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What does all this mean for Linux? How do you feel about these news articles? Personally, I am glad, and I hope AT&T does switch, it would mean a big boost for Linux. It should be interesting to see how this all plays out.

microburn

i think that is good for all that linux market is becoming stronger every day.Competition is a key for quality.

But ive been seeing movements for the other way too. For example, here a State decided to move out from Linux. They will convert all linux to Windows.
Why?
Cost. For them, Linux costs more.
funny?
Not at all. Here a linux professional costs 3 times more than a Windows professional. So, although all software used by them were free, the cost of STAFF was huge. ROI estimated is about 3 years.

Yeah, you can't win them all. Linux seems to be growing all the time, and becoming stronger and stronger, hopefully we'll see a big increase soon.

microburn

Its good to know all those $4 an hour prison laborers calling me from AT&T to sign up for long distance will be running Linux. One question MB: How do these people make money? (To question the "independant study" part. We all know MS has funded "independant studies")

Haha. I can see it now. "Hi, I'm from AT&T, and I would like to know if you are interested in---" "Do you run Linux?" "Yes." "Then yes I would." "But I didn't--" "I said... yes"

/me signs up for AT&T.

Heh.

didn't ibm switch to linux or something a while back? i remember seeing some commercials involving linux and ibm and a kid sitting in a chair and famous people giving him advice... anybody remember that?