Strip away the hype and hyperbole and there are two factors driving mainstream businesses to adopt Linux and other open-source technologies: drastic reduction of hardware costs by swapping out expensive servers and fear of being locked into proprietary software.

Nobody doubts that open-source technologies offer comparable (and sometimes even superior) performance, reliability and economic advantages to rival proprietary offerings. And corporations definitely realize immediate and long-term reduction in hardware costs. For example, companies that deploy open-source operating systems on Intel - and AMD -based machines -- instead of more expensive proprietary boxes -- see their hardware costs decline 50 percent or more.

But, as with any investment, buyers must recognize that up-front costs are only part of the total cost of deploying a server . Unfortunately, there are no absolutes when it comes either to the initial capital expenditure or to ongoing maintenance and upgrade costs associated with open-source desktops, servers, applications and third-party tools. Every corporation faces unique situations that thwart the use of a standard model.

Any reduction in the total cost of ownership (TCO) associated with Linux deployment will depend on the individual environment, configuration and additional services a business chooses to add to its environment. Furthermore, the notion that Linux licenses are free not only is incorrect, but also has the disastrous effect of misinforming legions of potential users that Linux and open source are devoid of any of the attendant costs and fees associated with an operating infrastructure .

Major Myths

Any calculations regarding the cost of implementing an open-source server must avoid the myths sometimes associated with the price and advantages of a Linux-server deployment.

The first major myth associated with Linux is that its licenses are free. They are not. Red Hat, Novell and other Linux distributors charge nominal licensing fees for their respective products. It is true that these fees are a small fraction of the price of a proprietary license from a company like Microsoft . But the Linux vendors don't bundle in all the product warranty and indemnification provisions that Microsoft incorporates into its volume-licensing agreements. (continued...)

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