Windows cheaper than Linux in China
Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 04, 2005 - 06:17 AM
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BEIJING, Jun 30, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- CCW Research in Beijing released findings this week that open-source Linux software actually is more expensive than the Windows operating system. The firm's analysts were quoted in the China Daily as saying Linux's total cost of ownership was greater than Microsoft's banner software. CCW Research defined TCO as the price paid for a product, plus the costs of maintenance, upgrades and downtime. The firm's analysts said the Linux market is expected to grow by 35 percent 2005, representing a big opportunity for diversification in the country's software industry, but they predicted the higher TCO will hamper adoption of the open-source system in China over the long term.
Linux is a Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world and offered free to everyone, according to the system's Web site.
Though users pay nothing initially for Linux, it carries a much higher total cost than Windows in terms of most applications on servers, CCW said, although Linux currently enjoys an 8.3-percent cost advantage over Windows on Web servers and the TCO was comparable for the two systems on network servers.
On application and database servers, however, the TCO for Linux was 41.3 percent higher than for Windows. On mail servers and file/print servers, the Linux TCO was 11.8 percent and 11.7 percent higher, respectively.
CCW attributed the higher Linux cost of ownership to a weak application environment and a shortage of qualified engineers familiar with the operating system. The analysts said there were few mature applications available in China, resulting in additional costs for internal development and maintenance of Linux.
CCW said Linux users are forced to spend more on technical-support services to ensure stability, so they need to employ specialized engineers and invest time and money in training.
Most users in China are accustomed to the Windows platform, and few Chinese universities and academies offer Linux-related training. CCW found a 20-percent difference in wages paid to engineers specializing in Linux over Windows.
Another obstacle hampering Linux development in China is the low cost of operating systems. Computer-hardware sellers in the Chinese market have long offered bundled software as a way of sweetening the deal to win contracts. Widespread piracy also has contributed to China's underdeveloped software industry. According to CCW, the purchase of operating systems accounts for a little more than 8 percent of total costs.
Some Chinese businesses are trying to run both Linux and Windows in an attempt to lower costs, but CCW found the attempts were not very successful.
Wang Shugui, an analyst with the firm, told China Daily, "on average, running multiple operating systems has an 18.9 percent higher cost than running a single platform."
To adopt multiple platforms, Wang continued, "businesses need to employ engineers familiar with all operating systems as it results in a much more complicated IT system."
Ed Lanfranco covers technology in Asia for UPI Science News. E-mail: sciencemail@upi.com
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
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