It should related to both the capital outlay of new products *and* mainatinance.
Now this is where Linux should not be promoted as *free* software. Not only should one consider the procurement of software, but the cost of employing staff and/or contractors to integrate, manage, and maintain the software. We also should consider what hardware resources are needed to achieve the desired results with the software and what technology lifespan is expected with the hardware resources that software is running on.
Downtime is also a big consideration.
Nothing is ever free. OSS/FS included. Especially when it comes to systems setup and maintenance. In my experience getting the basics up and running requires more time and effort in the OSS/FS world. Particularly when trying to get MS Windows oriented hardware (particularly peripherals such as scanners and printers) to work with Linux. Speaking from experience although Linux makes for a "safer" environment in small business it does require more frucking about to get setup and stable. In a bigger corporate situation where you want extremely cut down desktops for InfoSys workers who just interact with the Intranet (and perhaps some Internet stuff) Linux would be a boon though. Regards -- Oliver Jones » Director » oliver(a)deeperdesign.com » +64 (21) 41 2238 Deeper Design Limited » +64 (7) 377 3328 » www.deeperdesign.com