Linux Usage in the UK

pdajames writes "Techies don't seem to understand that businesses want to have a support contract with their usual supplier before they will buy Linux, even though the likelihood is that they may never need support. A survey in the UK showed that support concerns were the No. 1 factor keeping companies from investing in open source software."

Comments

Re:Support is everything

[c0d3h4x0r]

I think that pretty much sums it up. Too many people think computer = Windows and don't know how to use anything else. So if the Linux server (God forbid) breaks, who will be around to fix it?

That's just demonstrative of the entire problem with *NIX -- it's too difficult to learn and use. That's why Windows or even Mac OS X would be used by companies (as long as PCs or Macs will suit their needs) rather than Linux, because you don't have to have "l33t software gods" to simply set the systems up or run them.

In other words, the barrier to adoption may be support, but if your stuff is simpler to use then the need for support is reduced. The *NIX crowds (Linux, BSD, etc) need to take note of how relatively simple it is to set up and run a Windows or Mac OS X system, and start realizing that ease-of-use and consistent graphic interfaces are something real people care about.