Microsoft's Ballmer tells customers to stick with Windows

Posted on 28 Oct 2004 at 10:52

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO has emailed management and IT professionals in a fierce defence of Windows against Linux and Unix in the Enterprise.

In the email he warns potential Linux customers, `the number of security vulnerabilities is lower on Windows, and Windows responsiveness on security is better than Linux; and Microsoft provides uncapped IP indemnification of their products, while no
such comprehensive offering is available for Linux or open source.`

Citing various studies, some of which were paid for by Microsoft - although all 'independent' according to Ballmer - he claimed that while Linux may appear 'free', training, consultancy and continuing support costs meant that over the longer term, Windows was less expensive.

Microsoft is concerned that Linux is eating into its market share. An even bigger concern is that as the next generation of Windows based operating systems is delayed, the temptation for customers to defect to 'newer' versions of Linux may become a flood. One of the major themes is that it is more costly to migrate from Windows to Linux than Windows to the next version of Windows, so it's best to stick with what you know.

For example, Ballmer points out that a Forrester survey found that training for IT employees was significantly higher for Linux than for Windows - on average, 15 per cent more expensive. He says that the reason is that there are less training materials around. As a result, customers spent more on training to compensate for the lack of internal knowledge about Linux. However, this will surely change as Linux becomes more established and training companies and authors respond to demand.

Similarly, Ballmer points out that the survey found that companies had difficulties finding qualified Linux personnel, and when they did they were more expensive.

As a result, Ballmer says, another survey found that 'a significant Linux deployment or total switch from Windows to Linux would be three to four times more expensive - and take three times as long to deploy - as an upgrade from one version of Windows to a newer release'.

However, from a client perspective, the fact that anyone is migrating to Linux right now is indeed a vindication of its worth. Businesses having already deployed XP are probably happy to stick with what they know for now. But come 2006, when businesses have to decide whether to upgrade to Longhorn; then that is what may open the flood-gates to Linux migrations.

Although many consider that security is the Achilles heel for Microsoft, Ballmer says that this too is a misconception. He dismisses the Open Source concept of 'many eyeballs' being able to spot and fix bugs in software and believes structured software development to be a more efficient method.

Finally, Ballmer points out that Microsoft has put its entire financial weight behind its larger customers and will fully indemnify them against and patent lawsuits that result from using Windows offering peace of mind to IT managers nervous of the increasingly litigious patent disputes across the US. Because of its very nature, Linux is unable to do the same for now.

But organisations such as the Open Source Development Labs and Red Hat among others have created a fund pool and offered pledges to protect Open Source users. Similarly, Linux proponents such as IBM, and including vendors Red Hat and Novell, have pledged not to use their patents against Open Source companies.

Whilst there is little in Ballmer's email that is new - Microsoft has been banging the TCO drum against Windows for several years now - this is the first time that the company has really set out its case to such a wide number of customers at once. We can only assume that the volume of Microsoft's message will only get louder.

Author: Steve Malone