On Tuesday 29 March 2005 21:25, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:

Revant wrote:

...

Cost of windows xp:

1. OS cost is Rs. 7,000 for first copy and 5,000 for paper

licenses

If you are talking volume license (any office with over 20 pcs can otp for it), you will get WinXP for 5-5.5k, not OEM, but corporate floating license (can move from one pc to another when you change / discard pc).

...

2. Office 2003 isn't free!! it costs Rs.17,490 1 user license!!!!!

can go as low as 11K per pc.

For what slab?

...

and remember the post-installation and setup costs too. Windows needs frequent format-installations too, Most virus screw your system

I have been using winxp for 3 years now and we dont need to do format installtation. That is the excuse normally given by hardware vendors who dont know what they are doing. The only 2 times I did a format and install was once when i did something really stupid with the service manager configuration and messed up the entire thing (will also happen on linux if you play around with config files or kernel without knowing what you are doing.)

One BIG difference with GNU/linux (that includes applications) you have access to the code so if you are in trouble u CAN correct things. Further every time (and that is at least fifteen times with different application) I mailed a developer i got a response with useful technical inputs which helped resolve the problem within a day. No stupid mails about You are a valued idiot and our idiots are looking into the problem and we will get back to you when the next release treadmill starts rolling.

Virus attacks are a different ball game. Here again, if the users are careful and sensible, most virus will not have an impact. If the user is stupid (like running linux desktop as root), then you are in for hell even on linux.

Eh!. I have been running Debian as root for years havent had a problem ever. And the box is connected 24/7. (Ofcourse this is quite a nasty thing to do) But then most of my ports are turned off and firewalled etc. etc.

Make sure you talk of support and cost of support. If anyone says that windows is supported by microsoft please be ready for details on that. Microsoft does not provide support on windows (except to very large companies) and they will charge you for all support calls made, even if the problem was due to their software bug. There is very little documentation available on windows per se. Most support, documentation and newsgroup / usergroup help is only on programming.

Also explain that support on windows from the hardware vendor or the neighbourhood computer shop is a bad idea. Most of them have no idea except to reinstall the software, or solve absolutely basic problems. In most cases, they are really useless. I speak from experience.

If you plan to get support better than the kind stated above it will cost you a fortune and is unlikely to be available unless you have 100+ multi location setup. Factoring these costs with meticulous SLAs is the key to your costing. The microserfs very nicely forget about SLAs when costing but suddenly remember them when signing up MCs.

Could not agree more with the rest of the mail.

Finally it is about really understanding who exactly is responsible for the stuff that resides on your box. Quite contrary to what M$ say in the press, they absolve themselves of everything and charge you a fat packet in the bargain. Strangely enough even the DOD (USA) software certification program fails completely to certify key aspects of closed software. The situation is being rectified much to the dislike of fiends like Greenhills, M$ etc.. Cant find the relevant links.

rgds jtd