IBM Pushing Microsoft-Free Desktops

walterbyrd and other readers are sending along the news that IBM is partnering worldwide with Canonical/Ubuntu, Novell, and Red Hat to offer Windows-free desktop PCs pre-loaded with Lotus software and ready for customizing by local ISVs for particular markets. The head of IBM's Lotus division is quoted: "The slow adoption of Vista among businesses and budget-conscious CIOs, coupled with the proven success of a new type of Microsoft-free PC in every region, provides an extraordinary window of opportunity for Linux." One example of the cooperation: "Canonical, which sells subscription support for Ubuntu, a Linux operating system that scores high marks on usability and 'the cool factor,' will re-distribute Lotus Symphony via their repositories. Symphony 1.1 will be available through the Ubuntu repositories by the end of August."

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[iamhigh]

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That link actually works.

Now that I got a few informative's, lets get a few flaimbait's...

I went to Canonical and "bought" (put in cart) a year of Ubuntu Desktop Support... $293!!!! #)%}&"#^*! That's about as bad as Vista Ultimate!

Server Support was $881!! THAT IS MORE THAN W2K3!

So why would I, a self admitted Windows Admin, ever want to switch? Surely I am going to want more than "community support" if I ever dare put a production ERP system on Linux. But if that costs more than the Windows Server I know and have used daily for 10 years (as have the other IT staff), from a business standpoint, why bother?

Commodore 64

[stevedmc]

IBM should get together with the people who created Commodore 64 and see about modifying it for a networked business environment. We already know the C64 is suitable for networked environments because people have already abandoned Vista to have lan parties on their Commodore 64s.