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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:5104 comp.os.linux.misc:34168 comp.os.os2.advocacy:76420 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!news.netspace.net.au!serval.net.wsu.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!oracle.pnl.gov!osi-east2.es.net!lll-winken.llnl.gov!uwm.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!nntp-ucb.barrnet.net!well!henryh From: henryh@well.sf.ca.us (Henry Hwong) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.os2.advocacy Subject: Re: Linux thoroughly insulted by Infoworld! Followup-To: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.os2.advocacy Date: 24 Jan 1995 14:56:59 GMT Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA Lines: 50 Message-ID: <3g34fr$jri@nkosi.well.com> References: <950116203411@lambada> <3fjcn4$24u@nkosi.well.com> <3fmi6c$ang@galaxy.ucr.edu> <3fvqbd$6v1@nkosi.well.com> <3g070f$251@manuel.anu.edu.au> <3g0mnn$ccp@nkosi.well.com> <3g267v$1e3@blackice.winternet.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: well.sf.ca.us X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] Jeff Dege (jdege@winternet.com) wrote: : Henry Hwong (henryh@well.sf.ca.us) wrote: [CUT] : Keep in mind that major database servers and desktop client paltforms : don't comprise all of the systems that your typical IS department configures : and maintains. Every organization I have worked with has some number of : special-purpose platforms dedicated to running some custom or in-house app. : Most of those I've seen are based on MsDOS. I'm convinced that Linux is : a better platform for almost all of these special apps. : : Think about it. If you were going to put a box out on the factory floor : to collect data from half-a-dozen senors, package it up, and dial it in to : the mainframe every half-hour. Your going to write the app in-house. : If you were to platform the app on a Unix varient, taking advantage of : multi-tasking and operating system services such as cron, uucp, init, etc., : would it be more reliable than if you were to platform it on MsDOS? : Certainly. Would it cost less to develop? Certainly. Can you justify : $1000 to buy a SCO license for that platform? Only with great dificulty. : It seems to me that Linux is a perfect solution. That Linux isn't a : very good solution for other problems doesn't strike me as very relevent. Yes, I can cost-justify purchasing a UNIX (though, I wouldn't personally choose SCO, so you're making it hard for me to defend my position :-)). I think the biggest point that I'm trying to make (and apparently not making clear) is that there are other costs associated with going to a Linux (or *BSD). Sure, inital costs are cheap -- free FTP, cheap CD-ROMs. Sure, I can try to convince my clients to look at Linux. It's free! However, now I have to look at how much time it would take to maintain or setup. For a consultant, time is big bucks. Many times, it is cheaper for me to recommend a whole solution (Sun, HP, IBM) that comes in a package with everything installed instead of me spending the time to put together a 486 or Pentium system running Linux. Then we have to do technology transfer to the client. It's easy to find classes for Solaris, AIX, SCO, or HPUX. Linux classes? Uh. Hmm. Well, I could spend the time ($$) to teach you everything about Linux. RTFM just doesn't cut it with clients. And I can't tell clients to just fire all their mainframe people and just hire people who recently graduated from college, either. That's why consultants like me pick the packages. I have to find the best solution for my clients. Long term, that $1000 I tell my client to spend on SCO is cheaper than going with Linux. The hidden people costs are what kill you. -Henry