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09.20.06
Linux Options Omitted From
Vista Survey
 By David
A. Utter
It's either the Microsoft way or the highway for computer users according to a
survey about the economic impact the Vista operating system could have in Europe.
The potential for Linux making an impact on the European Union economy isn't covered
in an IDC whitepaper sponsored by Microsoft. Writer Glyn Moody at Linux
Journal found that the survey
directly targeted the European Commission.
Microsoft has been fighting with the EC for years over anti-monopolistic practices.
Now Moody noted that the Commission has concerns about Vista, which is scheduled
for a 2007 release.
Putting up a roadblock in Vista's path could cost the European Union 100,000 new
jobs, according to the survey. Moody had some issues with this contention:
What makes this FUD so impressive
is that this attention to detail obscures the sleight of hand that is going on
here. The white paper may predict sales by the "Microsoft ecosystem" of over $40
billion in six of Europe's biggest economies, but what this figure hides is the
fact that income for Microsoft and its chums is a cost for the rest of Europe.
As the paper itself mentions, half of this cost is down to the hardware.
Older hardware can handle Linux. A PC that was high-end five years ago and is
a relic today probably can't handle Vista. But it should be able to booth Linux
distributions with minimal difficulties.
That's a scenario Microsoft does not even want European Competition commissioner
Nellie Kroes and company to consider, according to Moody:
As far as I can tell, the phrases
"free software" and "open source" are not mentioned once in the white paper. The
whole analysis ignores completely the rich and expanding world of free software
as a possible alternative to Vista and its ecosystem.
…many of the 100,000 jobs the white paper claims will be generated by Vista could
just as easily be created if companies and users ignored Vista and turned to free
software instead. Moreover, the wider benefits of nurturing free software - for
example, in creating public resources that anyone can use - are increasingly being
recognized.
One way someone can discover a Linux distribution that may be of interest would
be through the entertaining Linux
Distribution Chooser. This online tool can suggest a distro, including live
CDs that let a developer try out a particular distribution before committing to
one in particular.
About the Author:
David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.
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