Why? The same reson that Microsoft does, money and control. Once an OS is loaded on a system there is an amazing amount of control that a software publisher can leverage. Of course they will jock the numbers around to make linux look like a complete looser as far a maintence costs go.
In truth it is extreamly difficult to calculate software maintenance costs because the numbers are just so darn close. What would a Solaris Admin cost as opposed to a Linux Admin? Also the question of support contracts can easily be greased by (Sun, Microsoft, IBM, fill in your favorite IT company). My answer to this question is to factor these items out of the equation and look strictly at the initial cost of the software and what the projected upgrade costs will be. But that's just me...
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Why? The same reson that Microsoft does, money and control. Once an OS is loaded on a system there is an amazing amount of control that a software publisher can leverage. Of course they will jock the numbers around to make linux look like a complete looser as far a maintence costs go. In truth it is extreamly difficult to calculate software maintenance costs because the numbers are just so darn close. What would a Solaris Admin cost as opposed to a Linux Admin? Also the question of support contracts can easily be greased by (Sun, Microsoft, IBM, fill in your favorite IT company). My answer to this question is to factor these items out of the equation and look strictly at the initial cost of the software and what the projected upgrade costs will be. But that's just me...