Troubleshooters.com: The Windows to Linux Conversion

“…Your software vendor can triple the price of your software
and stop supporting your version, or even prevent you from using
it. I’ve even heard vague, unsubstantiated rumors that some vendors
of proprietary software are starting to require you to get a
onetime only installation key every time you reinstall the software
you legally purchased, and even charge you for the privilege of
giving you that key. In five years will they still sell you the
key, or will they force you to upgrade? Given the role of
application reinstallation in Windows Troubleshooting, do you think
this might create problems?”

“Other vendors cannot legally reverse engineer to provide an
import facility. What choice to you have?”

“As you read this month’s Troubleshooting Professional, keep
this one question in mind. Because I’ll be describing the
transition from Windows to Linux as a long, difficult process
requiring advanced planning and discipline. It’s a process far more
costly than licensing new versions of Windows every 3 years.
It’s very tempting to take the course of least resistance and
stick with Windows. On the desktop, at least, that was a tempting
alternative even for my small company. Sure, Windows crashed all
the time, but is moving Troubleshooters.Com to a Linux desktop
worth 40 hours of my labor? That’s about what it took. Believe me,
spending $400 or whatever on Windows 2000 would have been cheap. So
why did I switch?“

Complete
Story