Microsoft’s “Get The Facts” Campaign

Linux provider Cybersource’s study comes after a wave of similar “independent” studies that have been commissioned by Microsoft or its partners and indicate that proprietary software is cheaper than open-source solutions. Microsoft has been actively marketing the results of these studies as part of its ‘Get The Facts’ campaign.

Con Zymaris, Cybersource’s chief executive, said that although the company is identified as a Linux solution provider, it has “made a great effort to prepare a balanced and open analysis”.

“The prices used for the study, along with research methodology, vendor specifications, cost calculator tabulations and final results are all included, so that these results can be verified by others. Which is more than we can say for any of the TCO reports that Microsoft touts in its current carpet-bombing anti-Linux advertising campaign,” said Zymaris.

According to the latest study, entitled Linux vs Windows TCO Comparison: The Final Numbers Are In, for a company with 250 users, Linux solutions will cost between 27 percent and 36 percent less than Microsoft’s products over a three-year period.

Full article.

If you’re lazy, here’s what it basically says. If you are not aware of the Get the Facts campaign by Microsoft, then you need to get out (or “in”) more. It’s all over magazines (PC Magazine, ok, so the only one I read it’s all over). Basically, Microsoft pays some companies to do “studies” and show that Microsoft products cost less than Linux ones do. They proceed to post the results on their own website (Microsoft.com).

Recently, one of the companies which Microsoft paid has re-evaluated their study and has proven Linux to be cheaper (who woulda thunk?!?). Too bad it doesn’t get as much press as Microsoft’s ads do.

Honestly, the only way I see Microsoft being cheaper is if the people who did the studies bought a bunch of SCO’s Caldera (or it used to be) Linux solution. Haha, we all know how that would turn out ;) .

Leave a Reply