Verizon Switches Programmers to Linux

wackysootroom writes: "According to this article at News.com, Verizon saved $6 million in equipment costs by switching its programmers from UNIX and Windows workstations to Linux workstations running OpenOffice. The article says that the average cost per desktop workstation was cut from $22,000 to $3,000." jeffmurphy noted the same story, and wonders "What kind of (Windows) desktops were they buying previously at an average cost of $22k? It seems like software alone wouldn't account for that big of a cut."

Comments

They were using Gold plated desktops of course ...

[Bob Loblaw]

... with diamond encrusted, platinum mice and padded leather keyboards.

Now their computers are made of pressed particle-board.

Savings.

[saintlupus]

Verizon saved $6 million in equipment costs by switching its programmers from UNIX and Windows workstations to Linux workstations running OpenOffice.

I'm surprised they didn't just fire all the programmers, to save the maximum amount of cash.

--saint
(bitter ex-Verizon employee.)

Verizon to Microsoft....

[wowbagger]

"Can you hear me now? GOOD!"

Re:They were using Gold plated desktops of course

[Black Parrot]

> Now their computers are made of pressed particle-board.

Now they're free, as in beer, speech, and old cardboard boxes.

Re:$22k per machine?

[plague3106]

So, when is my phone bill going to drop?

differences in how processors treat numbers

[Skapare]

Fundamental differences in how Intel and HP processors treat binary numbers meant that some software was very difficult to translate, leading to delays that kept newly purchased equipment idle. "It's now working, but what a mess," the employee added.

Translation:

We were dumb and wrote endian-dependent code, such as accessing multi-byte numbers by loading one character at a time. We assumed the high-order bytes were first, but with the Intel processor, it's the other way around. So we had to go back and re-do it all over again. Don't worry, we'll find some way to blame management. They told us to write endian-dependent code; yeah, that's right.

Re:They probably include...

[Anne Thwacks]

This includes the enormous cost of explaining where the ANY key is! Not to mention the use of the cup holder.

Isn't it ironic?

[adam613]

Verizon refused to set me up with their DSL service when they found out that one of my computers was running Linux. They told me it wouldn't work. Even after I said I would hook the DSL up to my win2k box.

Interesting.

[tshak]

Are you sure it's their programmers? I just read a big writeup on how they saved tons of money on servers since they've upraded to the .NET platform.

Re:$22,000 for Windows? No... Read the Article...

[Sj0]

I don't think I'd have any problem on a 286. Just as long as I'm paid for compile time...