Despite popular belief in the retail and hospitality markets, the Linux operating system is not free. The Linux kernel itself may be free, but there are many other costs associated with the total cost of ownership of a system. There are significant costs associated with "retail-hardening" Linux. Even Linux executives admit that Linux isn't free, but that you just pay in different ways. Linux especially has a long way to go in retail, and someone is going to bear these costs.
When investigating Linux for your retail enterprise, you should investigate and calculate these ten factors into your total cost of ownership (TCO) model:
? Limited Device Driver Support
Very few device drivers are available for Linux today, especially those used in retail environments. The JavaPOS standard is still in the early stages and has not been proven like the OPOS standard. In fact, most JavaPOS installations today run on Windows with OPOS and a Java OPOS wrapper. JavaPOS has a long way to go before it can provide the same device driver support as OPOS provides. The cost of developing retail device drivers is a huge consideration in total cost of ownership. Someone is going to have to pay to develop them for retail. The Microsoft platform is years ahead of Linux in meeting the retail industry's needs and provides an extensive set of device drivers.
? Support / Maintenance Costs
Support and maintenance for Linux is not free. Most Linux distributors make their money by selling their services. Support options vary by vendor and can get quite expensive for the enterprise. You will have to pay for support when you need it. However, before you can even receive support, you have to meet certain requirements. Most Linux distributors will only support un-modified versions of their software. Some of them also require you to meet certain hardware requirements before they will support you. Microsoft has a much more advanced support system in place to aid you when you need help.
? Numerous Installation Versions
There are over 188 different distributions of Linux available today, with the number growing all the time. You have to first decide which distribution and graphical user interface to use. Next, you have to deal with the limitations you will be faced with. For example, there is no guarantee that any software you develop on one distribution will run under another distribution. Nor is it guaranteed, or even likely, that an application you develop for one GUI will run under a different GUI, even on the same distribution. You do not have this problem with Microsoft's platform, since there are only a few different versions, all with a common user interface.
? Lack Of Available Software
Software for the Linux operating system has a long way to go. There are not very many well-known or enterprise-wide software packages available for Linux today, especially for POS. There is also a huge void on the Linux platform in server side software, like database, message queuing services, and transaction servers. The present limitations of software for the front end, middle tier, and server on Linux represent additional costs you need to factor into your TCO model. You do not face this limitation with the Microsoft platform, which has thousands of products available to create a complete end-to-end solution.
? Untested Waters In Retail
Linux has a long way to go in retail and hospitality. Very few retailers run Linux today. POS and other application vendors are going to pass the cost along to you for "retail-hardening" Linux.
' Lack Of Formal Development Schedule, Research, and Standards
With Linux, no formal development schedule or set of standards exists. There are thousands of developers contributing to it from all over the world, with no accountability to the retail industry. Linus Torvalds makes the final decision about what gets included in the latest Linux release, and he has no accountability to the retail industry. There is no formal research and development process with Linux. Microsoft plans to spend over 4ドル billion in R&D in 2001 and listens to the retail industry.
' Less Secure
"Open source" means that anyone can get a copy of the source code. Developers can find security weaknesses very easily with Linux. The same is not true with Microsoft Windows.
" Increased Labor Costs
You will have to spend extra money training your staff on a new environment. Store clerks will have to be trained on a new user interface that they are not likely to be familiar with already, and developers will have to be trained in a new development environment. It will be less costly to train staff on the Microsoft Windows user interface and the development environment because so many people are already familiar with them.
" Limited Developer Tools
There are limited developer tools available for Linux. Those that are available are much more difficult to use than Microsoft Visual Studio. Thus, the same application can take much longer to develop for Linux.
o Business Agility in the Future
Businesses must have the agility to quickly adapt to changing market conditions. There is a lot of uncertainty concerning the future of Linux. Microsoft is a stable company offering a reliable long-term solution.
At the point your organization begins to investigate Linux, conduct your own research in the above areas to get a good idea of your total cost of ownership. You will then be in a position to make an educated decision about the best path for your enterprise. You will see that Linux is far from free. You will also see for yourself why the Microsoft platform can actually have a lower total cost of ownership in the long run. And you won't make the mistake of thinking that Linux is free.
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Le pire c'est qu'apres ils reprennent ca en 4 fois plus long, et c'est tout aussi ridicule... j'ai pas trouvé un seul truc de défendable dans ces pseudo arguments.
[^] # résumé fourni au début du doc
Posté par Anonyme . En réponse à la dépêche Microsoft se lâche.... Évalué à 0.
Despite popular belief in the retail and hospitality markets, the Linux operating system is not free. The Linux kernel itself may be free, but there are many other costs associated with the total cost of ownership of a system. There are significant costs associated with "retail-hardening" Linux. Even Linux executives admit that Linux isn't free, but that you just pay in different ways. Linux especially has a long way to go in retail, and someone is going to bear these costs.
When investigating Linux for your retail enterprise, you should investigate and calculate these ten factors into your total cost of ownership (TCO) model:
? Limited Device Driver Support
Very few device drivers are available for Linux today, especially those used in retail environments. The JavaPOS standard is still in the early stages and has not been proven like the OPOS standard. In fact, most JavaPOS installations today run on Windows with OPOS and a Java OPOS wrapper. JavaPOS has a long way to go before it can provide the same device driver support as OPOS provides. The cost of developing retail device drivers is a huge consideration in total cost of ownership. Someone is going to have to pay to develop them for retail. The Microsoft platform is years ahead of Linux in meeting the retail industry's needs and provides an extensive set of device drivers.
? Support / Maintenance Costs
Support and maintenance for Linux is not free. Most Linux distributors make their money by selling their services. Support options vary by vendor and can get quite expensive for the enterprise. You will have to pay for support when you need it. However, before you can even receive support, you have to meet certain requirements. Most Linux distributors will only support un-modified versions of their software. Some of them also require you to meet certain hardware requirements before they will support you. Microsoft has a much more advanced support system in place to aid you when you need help.
? Numerous Installation Versions
There are over 188 different distributions of Linux available today, with the number growing all the time. You have to first decide which distribution and graphical user interface to use. Next, you have to deal with the limitations you will be faced with. For example, there is no guarantee that any software you develop on one distribution will run under another distribution. Nor is it guaranteed, or even likely, that an application you develop for one GUI will run under a different GUI, even on the same distribution. You do not have this problem with Microsoft's platform, since there are only a few different versions, all with a common user interface.
? Lack Of Available Software
Software for the Linux operating system has a long way to go. There are not very many well-known or enterprise-wide software packages available for Linux today, especially for POS. There is also a huge void on the Linux platform in server side software, like database, message queuing services, and transaction servers. The present limitations of software for the front end, middle tier, and server on Linux represent additional costs you need to factor into your TCO model. You do not face this limitation with the Microsoft platform, which has thousands of products available to create a complete end-to-end solution.
? Untested Waters In Retail
Linux has a long way to go in retail and hospitality. Very few retailers run Linux today. POS and other application vendors are going to pass the cost along to you for "retail-hardening" Linux.
' Lack Of Formal Development Schedule, Research, and Standards
With Linux, no formal development schedule or set of standards exists. There are thousands of developers contributing to it from all over the world, with no accountability to the retail industry. Linus Torvalds makes the final decision about what gets included in the latest Linux release, and he has no accountability to the retail industry. There is no formal research and development process with Linux. Microsoft plans to spend over 4ドル billion in R&D in 2001 and listens to the retail industry.
' Less Secure
"Open source" means that anyone can get a copy of the source code. Developers can find security weaknesses very easily with Linux. The same is not true with Microsoft Windows.
" Increased Labor Costs
You will have to spend extra money training your staff on a new environment. Store clerks will have to be trained on a new user interface that they are not likely to be familiar with already, and developers will have to be trained in a new development environment. It will be less costly to train staff on the Microsoft Windows user interface and the development environment because so many people are already familiar with them.
" Limited Developer Tools
There are limited developer tools available for Linux. Those that are available are much more difficult to use than Microsoft Visual Studio. Thus, the same application can take much longer to develop for Linux.
o Business Agility in the Future
Businesses must have the agility to quickly adapt to changing market conditions. There is a lot of uncertainty concerning the future of Linux. Microsoft is a stable company offering a reliable long-term solution.
At the point your organization begins to investigate Linux, conduct your own research in the above areas to get a good idea of your total cost of ownership. You will then be in a position to make an educated decision about the best path for your enterprise. You will see that Linux is far from free. You will also see for yourself why the Microsoft platform can actually have a lower total cost of ownership in the long run. And you won't make the mistake of thinking that Linux is free.
-----
Le pire c'est qu'apres ils reprennent ca en 4 fois plus long, et c'est tout aussi ridicule... j'ai pas trouvé un seul truc de défendable dans ces pseudo arguments.