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ZDNet reports this week on the cost of Vista forcing more and more organizations to evaluate alternatives including Apple MACs and Linux for their desktop environments.

The article speaks about how MACs are “smarter money as compared to Vista but a factor against MACs is the cost of specialised hardware. In the end, total cost of ownership causes a negative for anyone trying to make a large or even a smaller change to MAC machines.

Open Source software, such as GNU/Linux, is another serious alternative to look at which costs a lot less to switch over to. In particular Ubuntu Linux is mentioned as an operating system people need to “check out.



The Linux desktop on my living room PIII 720mhz machine with 196mb RAM where I am currently writing this blog post. Ubuntu Linux.



What sets Linux apart is that it runs on regular PC or Mac hardware. A company or individual does not face the same issue of hardware cost as they would with MAC machines.

Also, Linux allows for a set up called thin clients. This allows one server machine to host all user's desktop, work files and configurations. The user machines boot off this server.

It results in a number of benefits not limited to; cheaper hardware on the end user machines as they do not require a hard drive. Simple installation of new machines (essentially plug them in) and much less time and expense on backing up systems all the while maintaining an incredibly high level of security.

In the end GNU/Linux makes for a perfectly legitimate operating system alternative and of course the fear of viruses, spyware and malware is almost non-existent on Linux systems.

Security, peace of mind and price makes for a perfect change even for home users.



The same Linux desktop on my living room PIII 720mhz machine with 196mb RAM with Firefox Web Browser opened to Coastal Courier (of course) and OpenOffice.org. Ubuntu Linux.



ZDNet Article - Will Vista cause a switch to Macs, Linux?
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9584_22-6196884.html.

-- UPDATE --

I wanted to let everybody know that there are other reasons to switch from Windows Vista. For one hardware requirements can be sickening and in many cases it has been reported that even then it still doesn't accept the hardware given.

Cost is simply one aspect of the above. Honestly, stick with XP if you really aren't willing to try something completely different (ahem... better) like Linux.