Microsoft and the Linux Threat

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Authors: Ravi Madapati,
Faculty Member
ICMR (IBS Center for Management Research).

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The Linux Threat Contd...

High cost
Commercial operating systems, especially server operating systems, like Windows NT Server and Novell IntraNetware cost more than $400 for a single copy and their licenses limited the number. Even the more modest $100 for Windows 95 is beyond the reach of customers in developing countries, especially students. The price of commercial systems almost never includes development tools, which cost even more. Linux, on the other hand, includes free C, C++, FORTRAN, and other development tools.

Tech support
Commercial systems require their customers to depend on their companies for technical support. They have to call the service centers of the companies if there is a problem. The users often are put on hold while paying for the toll call. It is often easier to get help from Linux's various online support communities when there is a problem.

Lack of source code availability
Since the source code for Windows is a closely guarded secret, people can not tinker with it and improve it.

Users with the technical expertise can not fix problems that are technically easy to fix, but have to wait until Microsoft published a patch. The availability of source code in case of Linux is particularly useful for programmers and computer science students, who form a significant percentage of Linux users.

Crash-prone
The quality of Windows is another issue. Steve Ballmer (Ballmer)³,CEO of Microsoft has once admitted that in the rush to beat Netscape, Microsoft had cut corners in quality control. There have been reports about Windows "crashing" for no particularly good reason, often causing people to lose files. Even Windows 95 and Windows NT which are far more stable than the earlier version Windows 3.1x, have failed with alarming regularity. On the other hand there are documented cases of Linux servers running non-stop for over a year without a system-halting crash.

Monopolistic attitude
Epitomized by the antitrust proceedings launched by the Department of Justice there is a general perception that Microsoft wants to rule the world. Whether true or not, many people have been seeking alternatives to Microsoft systems just because they are uncomfortable with the idea of a Microsoft monopoly.

Growing Acceptance Among Corporates

Since 2000, Linux has increased its market share in corporate applications. It runs on nearly 10% of all servers and is growing at about 23% a year⁴.Roughly 30% of chief technologists are considering moving to Linux⁵. Peripheral makers from HP in printers to Epson in scanners have made sure that they have Linux-compatible offerings. Sun has spent millions of dollars on its Star Office software suite that give Linux users programs that work like and are compatible with PowerPoint, Word and Excel.

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3] Source: http://www.seul.org/docs/whylinux.html
4] Fortune, January 21, 2003 in Lindows: Brining Linux To The Masses
5] According to market researcher Gartner Inc.