"When investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein began
making the switch to the Linux computer operating system in 1999,
it did so to save money.
"The Germany-based bank sought a less-costly way to calculate
risks associated with its portfolio of investments. So it replaced
32 computer servers, based on the time-tested Unix operating
systems, at an average cost of $50,000 each, with 40 Linux servers,
at $3,000 a pop.
"Then Dresdner discovered a bonus: Linux, the upstart
open-source operating system, was not only cheaper--but also
faster. The Unix servers took 17 hours to calculate how much cash
the bank needed in reserve to offset its investment risk. The Linux
servers made the same calculation in 11 minutes..."
