MICROSOFT FINED $1.3 BILLION
"The European Commission has fined Microsoft a record Euro899m (£680m) for failing to comply with sanctions imposed on the company in March 2004, when it was deemed to be abusing its dominant position in the software market. The fine, announced last week, which is the largest lobbied on any business by the Commission, follows a Euro497m penalty paid in 2004 and a Euro280.5m fine paid in 2006, bringing Microsoft's total bill to Euro1.68bn. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement that Microsoft was the only company that had ever ignored sanctions applied as a result of anti-competitive behaviour."
http://short.zen.co.uk/?id=975

Competition is good in all industries and being reliant on one piece of software is really bad for your business. Many companies already use some Linux and Open Source Software (OSS) and this is increasing as more companies realise the benefits. So prepare for the future by ensuring you start using it and training your staff. The alternative is to carry on putting up with a monopoly and sending billions of dollars out of the UK every year. Using OSS, you don't pay for the software, just the support you need and the money helps local people and companies by staying in the country.

www.computerweekly.com

E-tailer cuts licensing costs with Linux server
Author:
Posted: 15:40 24 Sep 2007

An online retailer has saved more than £56,000 in software licensing costs after moving its IT platform from Microsoft Windows to Linux.

Iwantoneofthose.com, an e-business retailer launched in 2000, has moved its Hewlett-Packard servers, which manage accounting, transaction, product catalogue and warehouse management, from Windows Server 2003 to Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Server.

"Under a Linux environment our server software licensing costs are a tenth of what it was costing us under Microsoft," said Angus Gow, programme director at Iwantoneofthose.com.
The business, which employs 50 staff, has also reduced IT staff costs by £15,000 per head by hiring Linux administrators rather than Microsoft administrators to manage its servers, said Gow.

As part of the project, the company replaced its Windows-compatible enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with an open-source Apache-based ERP system called "Open for Business".

The older Windows-compatible application, which cost £80,000 in licensing costs a year, had begun to crash when demand peaked at Christmas, and could not deal with more than 6,000 orders a day, said Gow. "By using an open-source ERP system, we also have no licensing costs," he said.

Moving to a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server has also enabled the company to extend the life of the four-year-old servers that were unable to run newer versions of Windows. (Contd)

Linux has always been top for supporting the most hardware and it now runs on a 10W PC, ideal for Schools and business use. The PC runs Ubuntu Linux and even dual boots to the One Laptop per Child Linux based on Fedora. It is ultra quiet, small and very capable.

Contact us if you want to see one for yourself. The cost savings in a School or Business would be huge, so go Green today!

http://www.certcities.com/editorial/features/story.asp?EditorialsID=95

Nice to know Linux certification is in demand and highly respected.

"Executive summary of the recent EMA study on Linux Systems Management

In various older studies, Microsoft and some analysts claimed Linux has a higher Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than Windows. They attributed the difference mainly to higher system management costs, and concluded that the higher TCO outweighed the much lower license and acquisition costs for Linux.

However, in a new study of over 200 Linux enterprises, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) found that this perception is no longer accurate. Sophisticated management tools now allow Linux management to be fast, effective, and inexpensive. With far lower acquisition costs, Linux is now a cost-effective alternative to Windows."

Well, I think it says it all in the title. Competition is essential for innovation and value for money.

"Just Say No to Microsoft begins by tracing Microsoft's rise from tiny software startup to monopolistic juggernaut and explains how the company's practices over the years have discouraged innovation, stunted competition, and helped foster an environment ripe for viruses, bugs, and hackers. Readers learn how they can dump Microsoft products--even the Windows operating system--and continue to be productive. The book also shows how to work successfully and seamlessly with computers and people who are still hooked on Microsoft software. Includes full explanations of alternate operating systems, such as Linux and Mac, and outlines various software applications that can replace the familiar Microsoft products."


Just Say No to Microsoft: How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It's Not as Hard as You Think (Paperback), by Tony Grove.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159327064X/102-7291196-9889702?v=glance&n=283155

Survey: Three quarters of UK businesses will have implemented open source systems within five years, according to the National Computing Centre

"Three out of five said open source will become a fundamental component in their core IT systems, and three quarters said their organisations' IT strategy will include open source over the next five years. Executives surveyed pointed to reduced licensing costs, increased flexibility and lower total cost of ownership as the main benefits of going down the non-proprietary route." Zdnet.co.uk

Open Source Software enables people to choose the best option for them and be able to adapt the software for their own needs. It allows everyone to participate and learn without high costs or being locked in to a provider.

Who uses Linux?
Linux is working reliabily and cost effectively as part of daily life already (web servers, mail servers, file servers, bank applications, proxy servers, web filtering/protection). It just works in the background with no fuss.