Gavin Henrick was confused by:
> Some "computer company" has tried to convince an SME i know that :
>> The SME would not be able to integrate and maintain their website if
> they go the Linux route! (for internal office server). The SME were told
> they need to be on the .NET (Microsoft) system as any other way there
> are too many complications.
Ah. Right. Yes. Of course. We believe them. No really.
I have seen this argument many times before and it usually means one of two
things:
1) They are right: if the SME already has a lot of investment in Microsoft
technologies, has skills in those technologies and has a dozen SQL Server
databases, then going the Linux route will be complex and ultimately more
expensive.
2) (more common) They are wrong: this is a typical response made by someone
who does not understand Linux, who has a quota to fill, and who most
probably only understand Microsoft sales people. In short: it is the
computer company's way of saying that they only do Microsoft and that they
are not capable of understanding Linux.
If the SME has a long history with "computer company" then maybe they should
go the Microsoft route. Because if they go the Linux route they are not
going to get any support from them for it, and my experience has been that
"computer company" will go out of their way to make sure the Linux
implementation fails, so you are only setting yourself up as the fall guy.
But if the SME has just got some (no doubt expensive) consulting advice from
"computer company", who they called at random, then I would suggest dropping
them like the cold potatoe they obviously are.
(Usual disclaimers apply: I do not know "computer company", I do not know
the SME, in fact I have very little information to go on, so I am using past
experience as my guide here. But from the information available it seems
like someone is about to miss their quarterly quota.)
- Matthew
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