Please stop this bogus math

Posted Nov 16, 2003 21:00 UTC (Sun) by einstein (subscriber, #2052) [Link]

XP raises the cost of a new computer about $100 and that's it.

Actually it raises it quite a bit more once you take into account the higher cost of ownership over time, with either the lost productivity due to viruses, or the cost of keeping your peecee antivirus software up to date, take your pick - you will pay, one way or the other.

Most windoze users also need an office suite, and ms office is supposedly the only one they find acceptable, so there goes another several hundred bucks.

Of course, the major cost of using ms windows is that, well, I'd be stuck using ms windows :(

Most people keep the same OS for over three years. That means that XP costs you less than $35 a year. Lots of linux users spend more than that.

Lots of linux users spend $0 keeping their systems up to date, while some spend more - that's the thing about linux, you can spend as much or as little as you want,depending on what you like.

Those who spend more for linux, e.g. the city of Muenchen, prove that the appeal of linux is NOT about price, but about far more important features - the price of a linux distro, which is normally quite reasonable, is just one minor perk in the big picture.

Posted Nov 16, 2003 21:20 UTC (Sun) by pblanco (guest, #16087) [Link]

You seem to have forgotten the cost of development tools, image manipulation,
multimedia tools and other packages that you get along with your Linux distro. I'd bet that $500 is a little light for outfitting a Windows release with the same level of functionality that you get for $80 from SuSE. The $100 over the cost of a new computer that you mentioned basically allows you to boot the thing and connect to the Internet... you'll end up spending quite a bit more than the $100 if you want to do anything useful with your new system.

Posted Nov 20, 2003 9:34 UTC (Thu) by duck (subscriber, #4444) [Link]

Yes, please let's stop the crappy calcualation:

- You have a flatrate, and you can wait for a few weeks? Than even SuSE
Linux is available for free (ftp-Install, should be available in 3-5
days).
- You do not have a flatrate or can not do an ftp-install? Copy the CDs
from somebody, it is legal.
- You stick to what is offered, do not want to mess around with the
system? Than invest 0 $ once, and then stick to it for 2 years. Then
either do an update (if you did not mess around), or do a fresh install.
During that time, get all updates for free, without registration, if you
want in an automated way.

- You like SUSE, and want to support them, you like to give away manuals
after reading them to make Linux easier for beginners? Then buy every
single SuSE, and spend more than a naked Windows costs per year.

Or do something inbetween.

But do not try to tell me that Linux is as expensive as Windows, because
it is only if you decide to spent the money

Cheers