[Evildave]

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39379900,00.htm
{quote}In a few years' time, almost all businesses will use open source, according to Gartner; even though IT managers may be unaware of it, and prefer to talk about fashions such as software as a service.{quote}

Well, about all I can say about this is "DUH!"

It's always been a bit of a prickly point every time I've worked at a corporation that was having layoffs and other money problems that they RELIGIOUSLY upgraded their Microsoft products and licenses. 500 computers in the company times however much that license costs, times each kind of license flushed down the toilet.

Not to mention the time spent making sure all licenses are legit, with looming legal liability in case something isn't, and the valuable intel about your own company's internal workings that is given to the licensor every year you try to justify to them that you are using the licenses you say you are with expensive inventories.

You COULD switch to OpenOffice, maybe use Evolution for Outlook, but NO, every year you blow enough cash to hire several warm technical bodies, maybe fund some raises to keep hold of the ones you have. Maybe even just call it profit. You treat Bill Gates like a charity case and get ever-more annoying software with perpetually higher hardware requirements that cost EVEN MORE MONEY in return.

The Microsoft marketing shills must be pretty darned good at their jobs. After all, convincing a business man that he should PAY truckloads of cash for something he can have for FREE has to take some mad skills. I gotta get that list of dupes so I can get rich selling them air, sunlight and happy thoughts.