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Costly Switch But an Excellent ROI
Getting OFF of Microsoft products can be very expensive, but the ROI is phenomonal! Management here (fortune 500 company) worried about training and deployment costs with switching server and desktop OS and apps off of Windows 2000/XP.

Microsoft was already sucking massive amounts of budget for annual product upgrade training, seminars and other Pro-MS product support options. The other camps do the same, just switch the training budget over... it was a wash.

Administrative costs were almost a wash, but personnel have been reallocated to doing proactive development and support. The main cost savings have been in software licensing. Cutting Microsoft alone was a saving of over $3mil per YEAR, every year. That's money in the shareholder's pocket now. antivirus cost savings are $100K/yr, again, now this goes in the shareholders pocket (and profit sharing, etc.). Software reliability is phenomal and security is, well, actually available now. We're back to running a business again rather then running a Microsoft patch management game.

For a smoker (5yrs quit now) to quit it's an avg. initial cost of $50-200 (flat fee)in "programs" and honestly quite painful. The payback is $100-200 per MONTH and a newfound sense of freedom. Microsoft is a narcotic that once you're off of it, life is so much brighter, and safer!!!
Posted by: guitrwiz@...   Posted on: 10/20/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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More interested in MS interests in hardware  FilledOut | 10/20/04
Wow  mabricen | 10/20/04
$100 for the PC; $500 for Windows  drabicky | 10/20/04
My thoughts exactly.....  shawkins | 10/20/04
Conformity  nullrider | 10/20/04
Don't confuse conformity with standards  shawkins | 10/20/04
You mean standards  Henk de Boer | 10/20/04
Conformance vs. conformity  Still Lynn | 10/21/04
Cheap HW, Expensive SW  blackshole | 10/25/04
$100 PC? That'd encourage piracy  voska | 10/20/04
Costly Switch But an Excellent ROI  guitrwiz@... | 10/20/04
Ballmer, what a stupid monkey  moondookie@... | 10/21/04
Making piracy more affordable  Still Lynn | 10/21/04
Mr. voska,  elderlybloke | 02/17/09
Go ahead, Steve  Yagotta B. Kidding | 10/20/04
Hmm cleaver  dave95 | 10/20/04
Gates & free hardware  Middle of the Road | 10/20/04
Cheaper hardware will not reduce piracy.  JonathonDoe | 10/20/04
You actually BUY MS Office?  vandamme | 10/20/04
I use OO too, but when I build for others I give them what they want  JonathonDoe | 10/20/04
Ethics???  macnlos | 10/21/04
Stealing Hardware vs Stealing Software  gsquared | 10/20/04
stealing hardware  Middle of the Road | 10/20/04
the New windows PCI card  Humph | 10/25/04
True but think!  tthayer | 10/26/04
LOL  Humph | 10/27/04
Yeah and who's going to spend $$$ for the NEXT  Laff | 10/20/04
Most interesting quote on piracy  Anton Philidor | 10/20/04
Anton, the Microsoft hooter.  systemcleaner | 10/21/04
Don't destroy a dreamer's dreams  Ole Man | 02/17/09
Hardware Manufacturers: We need a $5 OS  NT Admin | 10/20/04
I have to agree ...  Ludovit | 10/20/04
Smoking Something  Middle of the Road | 10/20/04
That was then, this is now ...  Ludovit | 10/21/04
Spelling correction wink  strawbrn | 10/20/04
Oh the pain, the pain  tic swayback | 10/20/04
Linux Can beat the 5$ price  Yehuda Mann | 10/20/04
We had one  Roger Ramjet | 10/20/04
Microsoft & Security = Oxymoron  Update victim | 10/20/04
Seems that Bill changes his mind  Ole Man | 02/17/09
You still need an OS to run a browser  htotten | 10/20/04
But not an expensive one...  Patrick Jones | 10/20/04
It could be done  Lisanne001 | 10/20/04
3.1 Worked?  htotten | 10/20/04
browser no os well almost  lesjohns@... | 10/20/04
I've seen it  tek_z | 10/20/04
The dream is practically a reality  Ole Man | 02/17/09
Microsoft & Security = Oxymoron  Update victim | 10/20/04
Yeah, that's the problem  Middle of the Road | 10/20/04
Extremely Unfair!  Stephen Wheeler | 10/22/04
All that sun & alcohol might have impaired your brain ...  kbeartxzd | 10/24/04
Anecdote  Ole Man | 02/17/09
$100 PC  ronmcnaughton | 10/20/04
Free is Free  andy838 | 10/20/04
True pirates  Middle of the Road | 10/20/04
Try windows hacks.....  ZooberSoft | 10/20/04
At what point does extortion turn into theft?  Irritated User | 10/20/04
You're dead right  WhoIsDaMan | 10/21/04
There are very good reasons why reasoned posts are not replied to.  Irritated User | 10/21/04
I'm widja, kid  Ole Man | 02/17/09
Try Linux instead  Ole Man | 02/17/09
Attention: Bulletin!!!  Ole Man | 02/17/09
Cheap entry-level Windows/Office is the answer  jstone@... | 10/20/04
Cheap PCs for the Developing World  soismeme@... | 10/22/04
Never seen a pirated computer  waicri@... | 10/20/04
Answer this question  chippsetter@... | 10/20/04
OS included?  mabricen | 10/20/04
Dumb-down version.  dave95 | 10/20/04
PC needed to use pirate software.  Anton Philidor | 10/20/04
Thx for Xlation  Csap | 10/20/04
We need a $100 Office Suite  4rec | 10/20/04
Well I suppose  Yagotta B. Kidding | 10/20/04
change the system to cafeteria style  rox525 | 10/20/04
Yeah, blame someone else  tmos | 10/20/04
No we need $99 OS that includes Office  eric_bischoff@... | 10/20/04
try fedora 2 or 3 and open office  lesjohns@... | 10/20/04
$100pc  suitcase | 10/20/04
Ballamer sounds like Bush - backwards!  dewey_m@... | 10/20/04
Lower hardware & software costs  A user | 10/20/04
Software Cost??  Yugs | 10/20/04
$100 PC who side are they on?  jtprescottjr@... | 10/20/04
Yeah, then we can afford expensive MS software!  sckinz1 | 10/20/04
Linspire PC  FilledOut | 10/21/04
We need a $100 motor vehicle  denny.brydl@... | 10/20/04
A $100.00 PC??!!  tims@... | 10/20/04
"System Builder" pricing ...  mwagner@... | 10/26/04
No, Cheaper PCs Won't Help Much, IMHO  tonyrony | 10/20/04
with just $50 you can get computer and tons of softwares  imran@... | 10/20/04
That will only encourage piracy  lonnie_west@... | 10/20/04
Engines..  Patrick Jones | 10/20/04
Brings new meaning to pocket rocket  Linux User 147560 | 10/20/04
the Rich get Richer  Csap | 10/20/04
That would not be so bad, perhaps...  vinz65@... | 10/20/04
A dependency philosophy  chualc | 10/20/04
Sorry  chualc | 10/20/04
What you say is very true about DOS.  Irritated User | 10/20/04
Remeber Windows 2, people???  Knorthern Knight | 10/21/04
What a lame troll  Magister_z | 10/20/04
Ehhh... that's not exactly true  csteinola | 10/20/04
Yes and No  Csap | 10/20/04
Right On!  Irritated User | 10/20/04
Balmer WAKE UP - how 'bout 10 $ software  bizybee | 10/20/04
What he means is a $5 PC  dwright@... | 10/20/04
Unbelievable!  ecarteraz@... | 10/20/04
Linspire is doing this already  spencerlmp | 10/20/04
Brazil..  Patrick Jones | 10/20/04
Paris  Yagotta B. Kidding | 10/20/04
$100 PC...  fmfnavydoc | 10/20/04
The PC isn't being pirated it's the Operating System and Software  Dodo Egg | 10/20/04
Cheaper software more effective than cheaper hardware...  vulpine@... | 10/20/04
Apple Piracy  wwoodford | 10/20/04
Yes, but...  vinz65@... | 10/20/04
Where the hell did 1/3 come from??  Bob/Paul | 10/21/04
actually, apple is pirated a lot too  doh123 | 10/21/04
I thought the article was about hardware ...  mwagner@... | 10/20/04
Windows or Gates?  PCcritic | 10/20/04
One thing is certain...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 10/20/04
So..  Patrick Jones | 10/20/04
Certain, maybe, but not true  Yagotta B. Kidding | 10/20/04
good joke  hipparchus2000 | 10/21/04
So a $100 PC is the answer.  Erexx | 10/20/04
$100. PC ?  justabarber | 10/20/04
The AOL Optimized PC  NT Admin | 10/20/04
Cheaper PC's won't stop but increase piracy.  Libertarian | 10/20/04
Here an idea !  NT Admin | 10/20/04
Office 97  htotten | 10/20/04
Re: Office 97  kastlemaster | 10/20/04
Why bother? OpenOffice is free  kribor_z | 10/20/04
Amen  kastlemaster | 10/21/04
Not an issue of Cost!!!  PuckDevil8 | 10/20/04
Not an issue of hacking  Unix Guru | 10/20/04
pc's  RADIOJB@... | 10/20/04
X-Box with Office  jrhoflen | 10/20/04
$100 PCs & Microsoft  MickeySoft | 10/20/04
MB VS MEMORY?  FIVEOHJIM | 10/20/04
Could you take the CAPS LOCK OFF?  Linux User 147560 | 10/20/04
Quit yelling!  htotten | 10/20/04
We need cheaper software!  drwhotheman | 10/20/04
Where did these numbers come from?  vulpine@... | 10/20/04
Ballmer, Welcome To Moronville  itanalyst | 10/20/04
Given the way he was quoted...  Anton Philidor | 10/20/04
Just another ploy  wirefree@... | 10/20/04
What an absolute laugh!  kokuryu | 10/20/04
$100 PC, No how about a $100 OS  jjharr1 | 10/20/04
Cheap hardware vs. expensive software  Unix Guru | 10/20/04
$100 PC  jed.gart@... | 10/20/04
What, Who is Steve kidding?  Walter Wise | 10/20/04
Software & Piracy  bill.noah@... | 10/20/04
A good idea  chualc | 10/20/04
It's not the computer price  fisherman338 | 10/20/04
$100 PC  Mahegan | 10/20/04
No competetion keeps OS $$$ high  jsjag1 | 10/20/04
We need $100 Complete Operating System  black-jack | 10/20/04
no kidding, how about I have the option to BUY a windows cd for $100  V Sanders | 10/21/04
Cheaper Windows  REKer | 10/20/04
I'm sorry...What???  RBular | 10/20/04
who steals ms windows?  V Sanders | 10/21/04
... and $75 MS Office!  pfurrie@... | 10/20/04
Translation  John L. Ries | 10/20/04
We need a $100 OS  Pridepro | 10/20/04
Ok $25.00 Computer hows that!  computers@... | 10/20/04
Hey Balmer, Its the "Ware Cost Stupid!  Jaytmoon | 10/20/04
Think about it  chualc | 10/20/04
Hut in Taipei?  ChuTw | 10/21/04
Cheaper PCs  tqmiso@... | 10/20/04
MS take the profit PC makers take the hit  jimandsam@... | 10/20/04
Cheaper SOFTWARE might do the trick???  onebyte | 10/20/04
Issue is software cost not Pc cost  coldiniowa | 10/20/04
Ballmer  eau de joy | 10/20/04
$100 PC How much is the Windows portion?  tswarren | 10/20/04
Cost of Windows and MS Office  gassucker | 10/20/04
It's obvious why Ballmer & M$ have a problem.  Irritated User | 10/20/04
It's obvious why Ballmer & M$ have a problem.  Nick@... | 10/21/04
$100 PC  robtlloyd | 10/20/04
$200.00 PC?  richdave | 10/20/04
You get what you pay for  godforsaken | 10/20/04
Missed the mark (again)  snake1953 | 10/20/04
Software for Refurbished PC's  jsavage | 10/20/04
of course they will not sell those OSs anymore  V Sanders | 10/21/04
Ballmer: $100 PC/Piracy control  boboso1200 | 10/20/04
I gave up games a long time ago  V Sanders | 10/21/04
how about $100.00 software  deutcher@... | 10/20/04
Cost of switching  jack@... | 10/20/04
How about $150 for a desktop including XP and Office?  rograham1@... | 10/20/04
re: How about $150 for a desktop including XP and Office?  richdave | 10/22/04
$150 for the software AND the hardware  rograham1@... | 10/26/04
$100 PCs are on the way ...  George Mitchell | 10/20/04
China also working on Windows clone  firefoxie | 10/21/04
Ballmer's logic as good as MS Security  Winfan | 10/20/04
$100PC  danski44 | 10/20/04
Piracy - a direct result of overpricing  keepnudown | 10/20/04
Already available: It's called 'used'.  auntigrav | 10/20/04
$100 SW not HW  steve@... | 10/20/04
Lower Price Programs  mred1943 | 10/20/04
This will encourage piracy  wb9ddf | 10/20/04
Sure, we'll have it even cheaper!  Navix | 10/20/04
$100 PC? Sure; why not?  jonjon1946@... | 10/20/04
How about a free PC for buying MS OS n Office?  TS_z | 10/20/04
Cheaper Pc's  swcowboy | 10/20/04
We need a $50 OS  danrcan | 10/20/04
$100 pc, including software & os?  jfrasca | 10/20/04
We need a $100 PC and a $100 OS  chualc | 10/20/04
Nothing setting up your flagship product to become a loss leader (NT)  Squawkbox | 10/20/04
100.00 PC  cisaac1@... | 10/20/04
Fallacy of Ballmer  cougar1 | 10/20/04
Piracy.  rhmercer | 10/20/04
Its not cheeper PC's we need its Cheeper OS's  Nick@... | 10/20/04
i am sure more copies of winodws are sold to people  V Sanders | 10/21/04
if you wanna stop software piracy lower its price  crazzinjun | 10/21/04
Balmer wants a $100PC!!  Hippie Phred | 10/21/04
Balmer wants a $100PC!!  richdave | 10/22/04
Microsoft: As long as "WE" get "OUR" money.  firefoxie | 10/21/04
The title should be: Ballmer goes Balmy  firefoxie | 10/21/04
What about us builders?  bob@... | 10/21/04
Greed?  Frodo42 | 10/21/04
Ballmer said what?  ebudae@... | 10/21/04
$100 PC  hein@... | 10/21/04
As if the OEMs will build more free machines to pad the profit margin of MS  shadar | 10/21/04
$100 DVD Player  slyong | 10/21/04
Utterly backwards...  rkhalloran | 10/21/04
no excuse to steal ms office  V Sanders | 10/21/04
How about a Firmware Solution?  Agave | 10/21/04
It's called a Live CD...  Fairlane | 11/05/04
Microsoft should be forced to subsidize these $100 PCs.  systemcleaner | 10/21/04
Ballmer's as crazed as the monkey dance video makes him look...  troutmaskreplica | 10/21/04
Duplication cost: SW vs. HW  Frodo42 | 10/21/04
cheap pcs and pirated software...  liberalenextrema@... | 10/21/04
$100 PC? How about a $10 operating system?  wresnick | 10/21/04
Make hardware cheaper so we can sell office at $400!  tjleeland | 10/21/04
My Computer cost less than $100  wldrylie | 10/21/04
pirated software  Hillbilly_z | 10/21/04
my freebsd box cost me $5  hipparchus2000 | 10/21/04
EarthResourcesBeingConsumed@rapidrate#Microsofthelped bypace of PCUpgrade  hipparchus2000 | 10/21/04
100 PC ya funny the return of the VIC20  DXmadman | 10/21/04
What is this?  AmusedAtItAll | 10/21/04
Ballmer: We need a $100 PC  le Tech | 10/22/04
$100 Computers  david_kelsey@... | 10/23/04
Cheap PC won't help  Pickle_z | 10/23/04
Cheap PC won't help-cheap SW would!  Pickle_z | 10/23/04
Cheap PC? When do we get them?  g.douglas | 10/24/04
Windows Piracy Continues - Here's Why  lwk3rd | 10/25/04
why Ballmer has very little hair left...  whodatatmydo | 10/25/04
Microsoft cashing in on piracy again  leechman | 10/26/04
$100 pc = No piracy That's ridiculous!  kjmcsd | 10/26/04
Worry About All The Poor In The U.S.A.  dotcom_z | 10/29/04
We need a PC without Windows OS  elkhornsun | 11/02/04
Ballmer: We need a $100 PC  tacbinh | 11/05/04
How about a Windows XP Live CD...  Fairlane | 11/05/04
I think he has something else in mind besides piracy  k_burtch@... | 11/10/04
AOL Optimized PC  RickyDiamond | 12/22/04
How about a $0 PC?  yeoman | 12/23/04
cheap office suite vs. free open office  adobes | 09/28/05
open office  adobes | 09/28/05

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