There is a discussion in Ask Slashdot
(http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/03/2137254&tid=163&tid=201&tid=4)
about a company, which has deployed Linux in 250 workstations. The company is
now considering converting those workstations into MS-Windows in order to run a
specific application, which is available only for MS-Windows.
In order to deploy the application, they need to upgrade the
workstations, which are currently low-end (350MHz processors on the
average), buy MS-Windows licenses, etc. The estimated cost is on order
of $250,000 plus extra bi-yearly licensing and upgrading expenses.
I estimate that for $250,000 they could get the software vendor to
develop and release a Linux version of the application, or maybe even
pay a team of developers to develop a Free Software replacement.
If this is true, then once enough companies having enough workstations
have converted into Linux, it would be more cost effective to develop
Linux versions for special applications than convert to MS-Windows just
to deploy those applications. This is analogous to the formation of a
critical mass.
I wonder how many companies with hundreds of Linux workstations are
already there in Israel.
--- Omer
--
MS-Windows is the Pal-Kal of the PC world.
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