Opinion: How much does 'free' cost?

Not since the debate between Macintosh and Windows has there been a topic guaranteed to generate such a stream of hate e-mail. Yes, I’m going to talk about Linux. I’ve quadrupled the size of my e-mail database and installed profanity filters, so do your worst.

I don’t have a problem with Linux per se, except that it is YAU. Yet Another Unix. It looks like Unix, smells like Unix and feels like Unix. And it is free. And you can have the source code and play with it until nothing works properly. Oh yes, and Microsoft is going to go broke because everyone will switch to Linux. Not.

How about a reality check guys? For starters it’s Unix. So if you expect Windows people to go out and switch to it, you’d have to ask why they didn’t choose FreeBSD Unix which has been around for yonks. It works fine too.

Yes, I know, I’ve missed the point. Linux is going to replace department and workgroup servers. Oh, really? Because it’s free? So I should use Linux to save myself 5 percent? I suspect it will cost me a lot more than that 5 percent to get someone to support my new free operating system.

Darn. Missed the point again! Linux gives me the source code! Let’s take a serious reality check this time. Exactly how many people do you know that have the skills to actually change the code of a multi-user, multi-tasking, re-entrant, virtual-addressing operating system – and guarantee it still works tomorrow?

I didn’t think so. The sort of IT shop that actually has the skills to do this sort of work is probably already using another Unix.

I know Windows is not perfect. But then, my car isn’t a Rolls Royce either. And I couldn’t afford to maintain one, even if I got it for the price of Linux -- free.

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