"The Linux factor is significant here. Your current hardware (before the Vista upgrade) is sufficient to run any desktop Linux distribution. The shock and awe you'd experience breathing new life into these systems with Linux is worth every penny you didn't spend.
"Do you ever tire of software upgrade madness? Every two years or so, you have to upgrade your major applications because -- well, just because. Software upgrades are often accompanied by hardware upgrades (see previous section) when you find out that the latest version of an application needs twice the amount of memory that your current computer has. Software costs can send your budget into cardiac arrest, but there's hope in using free applications; even on Windows, you can enjoy the freedom of free software. That dirty word, free, is a factor when tallying up the price tag for a new version of Microsoft Office for everyone in your company. OpenOffice.org starts to look pretty good compared to at least $200 a pop for a Microsoft Office upgrade."
