Microsoft 'Myths' page trashes Linux
Published: 06 Oct 1999 09:34 BST
The "Linux Myths" page seeks to redress misinformation spread by those evil Linux advocates and tackles issues such as reliability, stability and affordability of the fastest growing operating system in the market place.
The Microsoft page dismisses Linux as an archaic operating system. "Linux fundamentally relies on 30-year-old operating system technology and architecture. Linux was not designed from the ground-up. These architectural limitations mean that as customers look for a platform to cost effectively deploy scalable, secure, and robust applications, Linux simply cannot deliver on the hype."
The four "myths" actually attacked by Microsoft are "Linux performs better than Windows NT," "Linux is more reliable than Windows NT," "Linux is more secure than Windows NT," "Linux can replace Windows as a desktop operating system" and, perhaps most bizarrely, "Linux is Free."
Microsoft refers to independent computer lab-tests that indicate that NT is faster, sturdier and more secure than Linux and claims that research has proved that owning Linux is actually more expensive than owning NT, in terms of retraining and customer support.
IDC operating system analyst, Lars Rasmussen, agrees that the real cost of using Linux has often been hidden from the user. "It's true that you can download Linux for free but the director of a company looking at moving over to Linux, has to consider the other costs," he says. "There is retraining and implementation and if you have a problem you'll be relying on the open source community which may mean someone working over night in their bedroom on a patch."
Rasmussen also believes that Windows NT can truly be considered a superior operating system. He adds: "At the moment NT has to be considered more stable, Linux has been very successful in a Web serving environment, but I don't think it has really been put to the test."
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