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Proprietary Tax Makes Linux $1000 Less Expensive Than Mac, Windows
A new study by the IMTSUF reports that, contrary to opinions by Microsoft and CNBC, Linux is actually the cheapest choice, due to the Proprietary Tax, which adds the following additional expenses on to a standard $700 Windows PC or Mac:
- $50-$100 – Cost of proprietary operating system
- $50 – RAM upgrade for comparable performance
- $200-$300 – Proprietary software to replace free software included with Linux
- $20 – Toaster
- $50 – Anti-virus software
- $400 – Cat litter
Right about now you’re thinking about checking the source, right? I already said it comes the IMTSUF – The I’m Making This S**t Up Foundation. Haven’t you heard of them?
Well, apparently you have, because Microsoft and CNBC (???) are having a battle over the so-called “hidden costs” of owning a Mac or PC. To give you an example, Microsoft claims that an average family will need, in addition to two other computers and many accessories, a Mac Pro, a Mobile Me family pack, (in a few years) an iLife upgrade, and so on , but if you are on the PC side you don’t need any software, since you have older copies. CNBC, on the other hand, apparently believes that Macs come with Photoshop and PCs always require a Geek Squad visit. Sorry, iPhoto != Photoshop.
Those are just the most obvious examples, in 5 minutes of looking at these arguments, you could poke so many holes in each of them you couldn’t tell what they were supposed to say in the first place.
Trying to compare details like what software someone is going to buy is impossible. Is there a person for whom a Windows PC ends up costing $1000 more than a Mac? Probably. Does that person have a clue what they’re doing? Probably not. Does anyone care? Definitely not.
Attempting to do a detailed comparison of one company’s raw hardware versus another company’s is one thing, but making assumptions about what the user is going to do is a waste of everyone’s time. Just remember that next time you buy a Windows PC, you have to pick up 4 tons of cat litter, too. (It’s just in case someone leaves his or her soda in your case. It could happen, but then again that’s according to IMTSUF.)
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Stop using the term “tax” inappropriately. Most people would not purchase a computer without software to make it functional. People’s expectation of what functional is includes software that runs all Windows applications as they expect. Therefore, for a majority of people such a cost is not a “burdensome charge, obligation, duty, or demand”. It is for you of course, but news stories aren’t supposed to talk about you.
In reality the support cost per call is probably not the issue. The more important issue is the rate at which trouble calls are generated. On that score Wndows is at a disadvantage.
Nepo Devlos,
Those critics of Linux are wrong. The after support is about the same, if not less, when using Linux. The thing those critics do not realize is that the OEM is installing Windows for the end users. Your Mom probably doesnt know how to install Linux, or Windows. Most people cannot install Windows on say a laptop without a computer guy to help them with the driver and the Windows installation procedure, not to mention installing all the software.
Lets just talk about the server side. Server side support, after purchase, is WAAAY cheaper on resources and on your pocket book. The critics of the server side do not know anything about Linux, so they would need to hire another person to do that job, of course that would cost more. Why not hire someone that can do both.
Server side and Desktop Linux is faster, more secure and easier to setup (If you know what you are doing or can read a howto). If you can’t rtfm or get someone that has, then yeah, you need to pay someone to do it for you. Dell sells Linux laptops, buy one of those and pay 50 bucks for Canonicals ubuntu support.
As a sound guy i travel with lots musicians and i hear often how the Mac makes them more creative…. even more than weed so i think IMTSUF is efffective if it is about something which heavily marketed as cool.
I use Macs in the studio sometimes and no….its not worth the price to have a nice case finish.
Our trombonist bought a Macbook pro and it cost 2500$ which with our sales taxes is almost 3000$. Throw in all the aftercare and other stuff and no… definitely not worth it.
He had it stolen during our last tour which is another reason I only carry old 2nd hand notebooks on trips.
My new laptop cost me half of his and i run Linux with virtualized XP and OS10. I also bought myself a Dell Mini netbook for 300 bucks (running Kubuntu 8.10 w KDE4.2 which is an amazing step up from the drab Ubuntu Gnome look) as well as new mobo, cpu chip. ram and video card for my tower and some microphones too for the rest of the equivalent money.
The chassis is nice but its not something I care about (I still have a THinkpad T21 tank), the components inside are exactly the same as other laptops so you have the OS left. I value it as much as XP in the sense that format lockin gives me little option and its something I use.
A computer is a tool, not a lifestyle.
Linux however runs on our 3 desktops, 3 laptops and the kids two netbooks in our house. The netbooks, one laptop and one tower are recent while two towers and two laptops are between 5 and 10 years old which means Ive saved money by not having to buy new hardware (i tell the holier than thou hippies that Im more green than they are because I dont throw away old computers to get the latest and coolest) and all the while having the latest and greatest Linux distros updated every 6 months… for free.
I appreciate the freedom part of Linux and the GPL but as a father and mortgage holder, i appreciate more the free part as in gratis.
It costs me nothing and every one of our computers are running with constant updates.
My dad has been using my XCFE powered old laptop and really likes it and were gonna dual boot his pretty soon.
Every time dad sees one of our computers he says the same thing ‘Its free, right…. amazing!!’
Nonsense,
PC6400 is less than $12.00 per gigabyte.
The same “free” software is still free on the other platforms.
It’s the cost of aftersales support that Linux critics are talking about. To them, that support is more expensive, because Linux is less mainstream.