July 11, 2007
Why drive to Vista Town when you can park in Leopardville?
Posted Jul. 11, ’07, 11:30 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Apple » Rivals
Reducing one’s dependency on something (fountain pens, coffee, Chapstick, etc) is never a bad thing and for one property assessment company it could even pay off financially—London-based Capital & Regional is considering a way off the Microsoft train. Chief Information Officer Richard Snooks recently told Silicon.com that Microsoft’s licensing policies have him considering a move to Mac and Linux operating systems. Capital & Regional currently has about 700 PC users running the pro versions of both Windows and Office XP.
The push to upgrade his office to Windows Vista apparently has Snooks less than thrilled, since it smacks of a “my way or the highway” mentality:
“I feel we are being railroaded and the market generally forced into a corner or even a cul-de-sac. In a free market we have made Microsoft dominant and now we have the collective responsibility to reverse this situation to re-establish balance and competition. If I am being driven down the Vista route then an Apple Mac is smarter money and cheaper.”
The IT department at Capital & Regional is experimenting with a Suse Linux desktop, while the browser-based cash registers at the company’s leisure outlets could use Linux machines, Macs, and Firefox.
[Via MacSurfer]
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I'm not trying to have a go at Linux here but the sad fact is that while we're throwing a Mac-spin on this story the firm will almost certainly go with Linux as a solution. If you already have an investment in x86 hardware then the lower cost of the change over to Linux rather than Mac will probably win over. Potential long-term cost savings, unfortunately, don't tend to mean too much with current investment projects that are looking to much more short-term returns. Shame.
IRT acquisition, I agree with Kelmon. However, when people change to an entirely new platform (ie Mac or Linux) then training also has to be factored in to teach people differences and learn new ways to do things. Since most people know how to use Windows and Office, it can be cheaper to buy upgrades and the training will be left to the few people who use advanced features.