Are Linux Users Just Cheap?
Could it be that Linux users are just cheap? Wait! Before you burn me at the stake for sins against open source, hear me out. Yes, cheap is probably a bit harsh. Perhaps frugal is a softer term. Besides, Linux users are almost always technical gurus with IQ’s that are through the roof. Were it not for my personal bias (I have a strong Microsoft background) I might be a Linux user. I am simply submitting a thought that was sparked by a Linux user’s recent post on a pro-Microsoft blog. This particular user gives us a glimpse at what fuels his purchasing decisions when he/she lists his reasons for using a particular service:
“it doesn't affect my purse.”
Admittedly, this single comment provides little evidence, scientific or otherwise, to support my assertion. However, it is fun to fan the flames in the Microsoft/Open Source battle from time to time.
by Spencer Ferguson @ 10:12 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
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Linux is something that once you have set up (and if you are good enough, fine tuned), it "doesn't stop working" in the sense that it doesn't degrade over time.
Even the most die-hard Windows fans have to agree Windows doesn't do this that well.
I should note that I've done device development for Windows in the past, and it wasn't easy or fun. At some points documentation (and functions) were not what they should have been. And because I couldn't see the source code, I had to waste a lot of time researching and testing when I should have been programming (one regret is that I didn't have to time to do a lot of work on the user interface to the device). Not to mention that I made some decisions that I'm not happy with.
With Linux, I don't usually find myself "stuck", my options are to read more, or figure out what the underlying code is doing by myself (not fun, but I feel more confident at the end of the day).
The cost of Linux is really just the icing on the cake. I know that it may make you comfortable to write me off as someone who puts price first, but as my post should show, I care about my computer and my work. I would (and do) gladly pay for tools that make my life easier and better.
If I could get a free and legal version of Windows xor Linux, I'd choose Linux every time.
Disclaimer, I am a Linux, FreeBSD and OS X user. I buy the games and DVDs I want to play (Wii, Xbox+360, PS2, and Linux (under Wine)).
From your blog:
The use of software without proper licensing is a copyright infringement. If a software publisher brings civil action against your organization you may face up to $150,000 in damages for each software program being used illegally. Also, organizations of all sizes can be held liable for employees’ actions even if management was not aware.
I wonder why I wouldn't want to deal with that?
It may be that Linux starts cheap. However, with the multitude of Microsoft people in the workplace compared with less Linux people, the TCO can become much greater pretty quickly.
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