It all began with one lone Linux-based file server at MP3.com. Linux was a rare choice for servers then. I made the Linux choice based on cost — I soon learned I'd employed the most stable technology available.
Microsoft customers still face fee increases of 33 to 107 percent according to Gartner Research. Microsoft's captive agreements guarantee their revenue streams. The emergence of Linux as a competitor has forced Microsoft to change — but they're still afraid of affordable options, hence the urgency in signing customers into restrictive agreements with looming deadlines.
LindowsOS is based on the 'fairware' principal. Users can buy and maintain a LindowsOS system for one-third the cost of a Microsoft-based system. A fair-priced model is a bigger threat to Microsoft than an absolutely free one.
That one lone Linux server is now accompanied by hundreds of its friends, all running Linux while saving MP3.com millions. The same phenomenon will take place on the desktop.
Michael Robertson, Lindows.com
