The True Costs Of Software

摘要

OW MUCH DOES "free" software really cost? That question remains at the heart of decisions made by CIOs and other technology leaders trying to decide on the software and associated hardware that will lead them into the future. Advocates of Linux and other open-source products sometimes argue that because the software is distrib- uted free of charge, it's self-evident that it's more financially attractive than proprietary products from companies like Microsoft, IBM, SAP or Oracle. IBM, which is increasingly pushing its support of Linux, suggests that a consensus is emerging that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of Linux is significantly lower than similar costs for competing proprietary operating systems (although it doesn't appear to extend this argument to other open-sour software that competes with its o revenue-producing software).