Unix is NOT just as expensive

© October 2003 Tony Lawrence

Wed Oct 8 20:32:42 GMT 2003 Unix is NOT just as expensive

I'm getting really tired of these articles that compare costs of Windows vs. Unix/Linux and say that it costs just as much or more to administer and maintain Unix systems. I think there was something on Slashdot or somewhere I read that talked about this recently, but I can't find it, so it's just my two cents:

I have something more than a hundred Unix/Linux customers. Some of them have their own IT people, so don't call on me a lot, but even if we take them out entirely, I've still got about seventy or so where I am the closest thing there is to an IT person. I do all maintenance and troubleshooting, 99% of which is remote by ssh or dialup.

If I had seventy odd NT customers, I'd be crazy with work. I wouldn't be able to do it: it would be a full time job with no time for anything else. Yet I can handle this load with ease, because once you set a Unix box up correctly, it usually just runs and runs and runs. I have plenty of time for other tasks, and pretty much have a stress free life. Sure, now and then some awful thing happens, but even then it's very often something that can be taken care of quickly and easily over the net - rarely do I have to go visiting on site. Unless, of course, it involves Windows: then it's almost always an on site trip because trying to configure Windows over any remote access is just so difficult.

Unix does NOT cost more: it costs less, and people who say otherwise just have no clue.

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