Can a small business afford not to run Linux?

Stan Beer
Monday, 12 November 2007 13:21

Opinion and Analysis

As I was doing some research for another article, I ran across a forum in which small business users were discussing why they wanted a particular software product (Quickbooks) ported to Linux. One poster's comments caught my attention. What he said convinced me that all small businesses should be running Linux on their desktops.

"As a small business owner I can afford the cost of Microsoft, I just can't afford the time anymore. I've had the host running QB go down, get new hardware installed, only to not be able to "activate" Windows. Can't run a business that way! I don't mind paying for Windows, I just can't have it prevent me from doing my business. I'm switching everything to SuSE Linux. I'm pushing all my clients that way too!"

This small business user was by no means alone in his sentiments on that forum. In fact, it typifies the issues facing millions of small businesses across the world.

Computers are supposed to help businesses get their work done, not get in their way. Yet for the small business owner above this was exactly the problem - the computer systems were preventing him/her from doing business.

So why would running a Linux distribution instead of Windows help a small business get work done more effectively? I can think of five good reasons off the top of my head. I'm sure others reading this could probably think of more.

I know Windows advocates - I refuse to call them fanboys because we're talking about business tools not music players and games consoles - will come up with every reason under sun as to why this is rubbish. There's a lot of money to be made from proprietary software therefore would we expect anything less? So here goes.