MS had a bad week, we had a good one maybe. 13354

Number one, you will not find hard numbers, because very few companies will disclose proprietary financial information. Even IT costs with Microsft are estimated. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure costs, nor someone with an industrial engineering or IT systems analyst degree.

There is one company that became Microsoft free:

s=IDGNS

* quote begin *Guitar maker plays a Linux tune

Over the past two years, Ernie Ball, the company, has moved its IT system almost entirely to open-source software, ditching older systems powered by Windows operating systems. It represents a growing clbutt of small- and medium-sized businesses finding opportunity in alternative software such as the Linux operating system.

Soon after, the company began its switch to Linux. The move wasn't easy, Ball said. For one, it took some coaxing to get employees to embrace the new desktop software, and he noted that the term "free software" is somewhat of a misnomer. "There is free software out there, but it costs you money to get it working," he said.

Yet, Ball now revels in the fact that his company is "Microsoft-free."

Two years after moving to open-source products, Ball claims that he saves $80,000 to $100,000 a year on IT spending, which is sizeable for a company of 80 computer users. Savings come from decreased maintenance, but more importantly, there is no longer any pressure to pay for regular software and hardware upgrades, he said.* quote end *

There are success stories out there and there will be more. However, much of IT occurs behind the scenes and will not make press, because to the press such news is not sensational. Quietly gaining a slight edge on profitability or operating more securely is not newsworthy to most publishers.

-- HPT