The upshot is the reader's clients first had to upgrade their accounting package and then had to spend extra money to continue using it. "In both cases the software developers are forcing my clients to use server software we had decided would be unnecessary and would add to their costs," the reader wrote. "In both cases my clients had to pay additional billable hours to my company to handle the additional time spent to setup and configure new servers and either remove or re-task the perfectly good Linux servers. Both companies needed little maintenance on the Linux server boxes. Further, the servers didn't need the additional expenditures for security software for virus and spyware attacks. So, in addition to needing these new systems, they need to acquire, install, configure, and maintain security software, and maintenance will go up as Windows requires more maintenance than does the Linux OS. This means more billable hours for me, but unhappy clients."
The reader believes that Microsoft is behind this. "I think this is a calculated move by Microsoft to stop Linux's increasing market share in the server market, and help increase their own," the reader wrote. "I think the developers are enabling this behavior, and in fact may be called co-conspirators in assisting Microsoft in their attacks against non-Windows server systems. I find this outrageous behavior by the developers and have already informed them of my and my clients' displeasure in forcing them to make outlays for something they didn't need, for server software they didn't want, and for the additional outlays that lay for my clients in the future. These particular clients have already had to make the move. I will be informing my other clients we need to discuss, with their accountants, their accounting needs for the future and get both the clients and the accountants to move to other accounting packages which will work with Linux servers and perhaps even Linux workstations. As far as I'm concerned, neither Intuit nor Sage Software deserve further business until they support Linux at the very least on servers, but should start developing for Linux on the desktop."
Is this one more Redmond conspiracy against Linux, or is something else going on here? No doubt Microsoft is delighted with the way this works out, but what I don't understand is why Intuit and Sage would both go along with it. Why would two major application vendors, who compete against each other and also face a threat from Microsoft in that space, restrict their customers' choices to the benefit of Redmond? If you know the answer to that one, give the Gripe Line a call at 1 888 875-7916, or write me at Foster@gripe2ed.com.
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