Get the facts - The real ones

dipdude

Forerunner
Microsoft Inc. is running a campaign they name "Get The Facts". In summary this is a way to try to stop the trend of migrating from Microsoft products to GNU/Linux. Let us have a look at it.

Table of contents
  • Get the facts
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
  • Reliability
  • Security
  • Intellectual Property Indemnification
  • Performance
  • Interoperability
  • Partner Success
  • Conclusion
  • About the author
Get the facts

The introduction for the campaign says, and I quote "As you weigh the costs and risks of Windows and Linux, consider this: More and more independent analysts and leading companies find that Windows Server System outperforms Linux on TCO, reliability, security, and indemnification. Get the facts, and make the decision that's right for your business."

An interesting observation to this is that although the analysis is performed by independent sources, they are often sponsored by Microsoft or an affiliate. I agree completely with the last sentence "Get the facts, and make the decision that's right for your business", but get them yourself, and don't trust a single source of information.

Now don't get me wrong, Microsoft has its place and in many situations it can be profitable to use Microsoft applications. Their collaboration suites have potential and management of many computers can be relatively easy. At least in theory. The problems come if you try to use a non-Microsoft system in addition to the windows computer, as Microsoft for one keep their communication formats and document formats for themselves, as well as changing the application programmer interface (API) constantly with little documentation.

Conclusion

If you want to use windows, feel free to do so. However, make sure that you've analysed the data yourself. No matter which system you decide to use, remember that knowledge is the key success factor. Don't believe in the Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) Microsoft is trying to spread, but look deeper into the issue before making your final decisions.

Interoperability will only become more important as computers become an even stronger means of communication. Consider this whether using GNU/Linux or Windows. Interoperability, as the name implies, is a two-player game of which common standards and recommendations play an important role.

Use whatever best fits your needs.

For the full article go to : Get the facts - The real ones
 
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