How much have you saved by using GNU/Linux?

Sam Varghese
Tuesday, 21 October 2008 03:49

Opinion and Analysis

At a time when economic problems dog the world, people's thoughts generally turn to saving. It is not surprising, therefore, to find many technology writers beginning to recognise that GNU/Linux and other open source software can reduce the amount that companies spend on IT.
One problem with such articles is that they often get tied up in buzzwords as the other camp, the proprietary software group, rallies to defend its own turf.

Acronyms like TCO (total cost of operations) and ROI (return on investment) are flung around. There is talk, also, of how much more a systems administrator who can look after open source systems will have to be paid in comparison to one who is adept at looking after Windows systems.

In the past, there have been quite a few studies to "prove" that the TCO of using one or the other form of software is less, but then the origin of such studies generally results in much of their punch being diluted.

The sums that have to be paid to companies for support contracts are brought into the picture and these figures muddy the scene even more. The argy-bargy descends into a single-line argument: "You can't prove anything one way or the other."

And there the whole argument dies, or stays for a while... until the next sponsored study comes along.

But when it comes to individuals, these things are much easier to measure. There is no systems administrator needed - the user is the one who assumes these functions.

There is no question of support - you are your own support person. At worst, you need to call in a friend who does not charge you a thing. If he does need some stimulus to help you debug things, it is at most a six-pack, half of which you consume yourself!