as they say, you cannot please everybody and there is always two sides of the truth: ours and theirs. hehehehehe...
SSDD ciao! On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 10:45:32 +0700, Art, Rochelle & AJ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > "Forrester Research Inc. (FORR ) and Yankee Group (RTRSY )" are these > more inclined to Microsoft? > > Art > > > > > Jojo Paderes wrote: > > > Not So Fast, Linux > > http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_45/b3907083_mz054.htm > > Many European local governments are thinking about ditching Windows, > > but Microsoft is fighting back > > > > Anticipation built for weeks beforehand. The city government of Paris, > > with 17,000 desktop PCs and hundreds of servers, was mulling a > > technology shift that would have been unthinkable just a few years > > ago: retiring Microsoft Corp. (MSFT ) Windows software from every one > > of its machines and converting them to the Linux operating system. So > > when the results of a feasibility study were finally announced on Oct. > > 13, the recommendation to stick with Windows provoked shock and dismay > > among Linux fans. "I'm totally bummed," wrote one French blogger. > > > > In Europe, software isn't just about bits and bytes anymore. It has > > become a matter of politics. In city governments from Paris to Vienna > > to Rome, civil servants and politicians are caught in a fight over > > competing visions of the future of computing. On one side is > > Microsoft, which is trying to hold on to its dominant position in PC > > and server software. On the other are factions backing the open-source > > model, which flouts convention by selling software cheaply -- or > > giving it away -- and sharing code. The contest playing out in city > > halls has turned Europe into a key battleground in the global software > > wars. > > > > It's no wonder open-source is fueling such passion. European > > governments chafe at Microsoft's market power and want to encourage > > alternatives. "They don't like being beholden to a monopoly," says > > analyst Philip Carnelley of researcher Ovum in London. At the same > > time, many policymakers see Linux as Europe's best chance to reclaim a > > role in an industry dominated by American giants. Two of the world's > > three largest Linux sellers started in Europe. > > > > There's a cultural element, too. Europeans have an affinity for Linux > > because it was created by a Finn, Linus Torvalds. And the > > communitarian culture of the open-source movement strikes a chord with > > the political Left. "There's an attraction to a business model that is > > closer to utopian socialism," says Fran�ois Bancilhon, chief executive > > of Paris-based Linux software maker Mandrakesoft (MDKFF ), which sells > > and supports Linux software. > > > > AN UNDISCLOSED DISCOUNT > > So far, Microsoft has taken most of the lumps in Europe. Vienna has > > begun switching over hundreds of its 16,000 PCs to Linux. Norway's > > second-largest city, Bergen, has decided to convert a score of > > database servers running the UNIX operating system to Linux, not > > Windows, and could eventually move 32,000 PCs used in its schools to > > Linux as well. But the most closely watched case is Munich, which aims > > to switch 14,000 desktops to Linux by 2008, despite Microsoft's offer > > of a 35% discount to stick with Windows. The number of such defections > > clearly caught Microsoft off guard. "Microsoft wasn't prepared for a > > popular uprising," says Rob Enderle, principal analyst at San Jose > > (Calif.) consultancy Enderle Group. > > > > Yet over the past 18 months the giant from Redmond, Wash., has > > unleashed a fierce counterattack, and there are signs that it's > > working. Paris was only the most recent and important victory. Last > > January the borough of Newham in London reversed course on a planned > > change to Linux after a consultant's report said Windows would cost > > $600,000 less to support each year. To seal the deal, Microsoft > > offered Newham an undisclosed discount. The Finnish city of Turku also > > changed its mind about dumping Windows after a three-year experiment > > with Linux showed employees resisted the switch. There are reports of > > glitches and cost overruns from other Linux adopters, including Munich > > and the German Parliament, which had to revert to Windows servers > > temporarily in mid-October when a third of its 5,000 PC users couldn't > > access the Internet or get e-mail. "We're seeing a turning of the > > tide," says software analyst Tom Berquist of Citigroup's Smith Barney > > unit in San Francisco. > > > > The comeback is classic Microsoft. After all, this is the same company > > that missed the rise of the Internet and then went on to crush browser > > rival Netscape Communications Corp. (TWX ). Microsoft has thrown > > itself into tackling Linux, hiring dozens of experts in open-source > > software and offering deep discounts to hold on to clients. It's also > > sharpening its pitch to address more than just software. "We need to > > talk in a broader way about investment protection, security, and tying > > together different kinds of software," says Ashim Pal, Microsoft's > > European director for platform strategy. > > > > Now, Microsoft hosts booths at Linux trade shows and has set up a Web > > site brimming with customer testimonials and market-research studies > > poking holes in Linux. Last summer, Microsoft mounted a four-city "Get > > the Facts" tour of Britain to pitch its story to IT managers. And it > > took the unprecedented step of inviting 60 government agencies around > > the world to view the top-secret source code for Windows and so allay > > concerns about its security and blunt the advantage of openness > > enjoyed by Linux. "Transparency increases trust," says Jason Matusow, > > director of Microsoft's shared-source initiative. > > > > Microsoft's charm offensive isn't all that's vexing Linux. After an > > initial rush of excitement, governments are weighing more factors. > > Linux and open-source programs may be cheap, but they can cost plenty > > to implement. Munich budgeted $35.7 million for its Linux makeover -- > > $12 million more than Microsoft's last-ditch offer. While most users > > insist Linux is cheaper to operate, reports from researchers such as > > Forrester Research Inc. (FORR ) and Yankee Group (RTRSY ) assert that > > the "total cost of ownership" -- including upgrades, support, and > > insurance against potential intellectual-property suits targeting > > Linux -- can be higher than for Windows. > > > > For Paris, the killer was the expense of having to rewrite programs > > and train thousands of employees on new software. The German city of > > Heidenheim recently chose not to adopt Linux for similar reasons. "We > > would have to spend a lot of money to make it happen," says Carsten > > Urban, head of the city's IT department. > > > > Linux partisans aren't about to surrender. Bancilhon predicts Paris > > will opt for smaller-scale Linux rollouts in neighborhood offices. > > Richard Seibt, the European president for U.S. software maker Novell > > Inc., sees no flagging of interest in Linux among European > > governments. "What has been announced so far is just the tip of the > > iceberg," he says, noting that Novell has hundreds of potential > > government sales of Linux-based products in the pipeline worldwide. > > All told, figures Gartner Inc. (IT ), the proportion of PCs sold with > > Linux installed will climb from 4.4% last year to 5.7% in 2005. A big > > shift. But it might be a lot bigger if Microsoft weren't turning up > > the heat. > > > -- > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) > Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph > Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph > . > To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug > . > Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to > http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie > -- "Programming, an artform that fights back" Anuerin G. Diaz Registered Linux User #246176 Friendly Linux Board @ http://mandrakeusers.org/index.php -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
