Studies related to Microsoft
Encyclopedia
There have been a number of studies related to Microsoft. They are a source of great controversies, since the studies are often funded by people or companies having a stake in one of the sides, and there are a lot of advocates on both sides.
commissioned International Data Corporation
to determine the total cost of ownership
(TCO) for enterprise applications on Windows 2000
versus the TCO of Linux
on the same enterprise applications. IDC looked at security and other infrastructure tasks, and Web Serving. According to the report, Windows 2000 had a lower TCO for four infrastructure items and Linux
had a lower TCO for web serving. IDC's report was based on telephone interviews of IT executives and managers of 104 North America
n companies in which they determined what they were using for a specific workload for file, print, security and networking services.
IDC determined that the four areas where Windows 2000 had a better TCO than Linux — over a period of five years for an average organisation of 100 employees — were in the use of file, print, network infrastructure and security infrastructure. They determined, however, that Linux had a better TCO than Windows 2000 when it came to web serving. The report also found that the greatest cost was not in the procurement of software and hardware, but in staffing costs and downtime. The report did not take into consideration the impact of downtime to the profitability of the business (although they did apply a 40% productivity factor, in order to recognise that employees are not entirely unproductive during periods of IT infrastructure downtime) though it did find that Linux servers had less unplanned downtime than Windows 2000 Servers. They found that most Linux servers ran less workload per server than Windows 2000 servers and also found that none of the businesses they interviewed used 4-way SMP Linux computers. IDC also did not take into account specific application servers — servers that need low maintenance and are provided by a specific vendor — when they performed their study. The report did emphasise that TCO was only one factor in considering whether to use a particular IT platform, and also noted that as management and server software improved and became better packaged the overall picture that was being shown in their report could change.
Jon "maddog" Hall has stated that "the TCO is useless, because that's only about what the software costs- it doesn't talk about what the software is worth." He explains that from a consumer perspective, cost is only important when considered in relation to the utility gained from the software, pointing out the frequency of downtime experienced by users as some variables which should be considered in a making a rational decision.
-based Cybersource compared in 2004 the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of running Linux
versus Windows
in the enterprise. Its studies found that Linux was 36% cheaper than Windows, when taking into account the software cost as well as service, support and upgrades. The study done in 2004 was an update on their previous studies in 2002, and found the same results.
in 2004 to convince users to switch from Linux to Windows Server System. It was originally focused on comparing the total cost of ownership
(TCO) of Linux
to Windows
, but later compared reliability, security and interoperability. Microsoft claims that its products have a lower overall TCO than open source programs, proposing that the Windows server platforms offered improved ease of use leading to these savings.
As part of the "Get the Facts" campaign Microsoft highlighted the .NET
trading platform that it had developed in partnership with Accenture for the London Stock Exchange
, claiming that it provided "five nines
" reliability. After suffering extended downtime and unreliability the LSE announced in 2009 that it was planning to drop its Microsoft solution and switch to a Linux based one in 2010.
and The Register
. Some websites suggest that some common inaccuracies in Microsoft's figures stem from including figures for Unix
and Solaris
with figures for Linux. Individual Linux and Unix administrators may have higher salaries than Windows administrators, but they tend to be more efficient and thus able to handle more servers.
In 2004, the Advertising Standards Authority
(ASA) of the UK warned Microsoft that an ad from the campaign which claimed that "Linux was ... 10 times more expensive than Windows Server 2003", was "misleading", as the hardware chosen for the Linux server was needlessly expensive. The ASA's complaint was that "the measurements for Linux were performed on an IBM zSeries [mainframe], which was more expensive and did not perform as well as other IBM series." The comparison was to Windows Server 2003 running on two 900 MHz Intel Xeon
CPUs.
to Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and Google Chrome
. It was criticized for misleading comparisons. Microsoft says that IE is the only browser with tab isolation and crash recovery, however Chrome and Opera
also have them.
Thirty-six individuals participated in the comparative evaluation. AIR recruited 12 people in each of three user experience groups—Novice, Beginner, and Intermediate—as categorized by Microsoft’s Windows Knowledge Screener. Each participant performed the same tasks using both operating systems. Further, participants had no experience with either Windows ME or Windows XP before participating in the study. In order to eliminate learning effects, half of the participants performed the tasks using Windows ME first, and half used Windows XP first.
The study was conducted as a task-based evaluation in which participants attempted to complete a series of timed tasks. The set of tasks was designed to reflect ordinary usage of both operating systems. Intermediates attempted all 30 tasks, while Novices and Beginners attempted 28 tasks.
Test administrators recorded whether or not participants successfully completed each task as well as the amount of time it took them to complete the task. In addition, they administered the system usability scale
, a ten-question survey that yields a score describing a system's overall effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. At the end of each participants’ second test session, the test administer also asked which operating system they preferred and why. The results of the study suggest that, overall, the Windows XP interface is an improvement over the Windows ME interface. Primary findings of the comparison are as follows:
IDC study: Linux TCO vs Windows 2000 TCO
In October 2002, MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
commissioned International Data Corporation
International Data Corporation
International Data Corporation is a market research and analysis firm specializing in information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology. IDC is a subsidiary of International Data Group...
to determine the total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership is a financial estimate whose purpose is to help consumers and enterprise managers determine direct and indirect costs of a product or system...
(TCO) for enterprise applications on Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
versus the TCO of Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
on the same enterprise applications. IDC looked at security and other infrastructure tasks, and Web Serving. According to the report, Windows 2000 had a lower TCO for four infrastructure items and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
had a lower TCO for web serving. IDC's report was based on telephone interviews of IT executives and managers of 104 North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n companies in which they determined what they were using for a specific workload for file, print, security and networking services.
IDC determined that the four areas where Windows 2000 had a better TCO than Linux — over a period of five years for an average organisation of 100 employees — were in the use of file, print, network infrastructure and security infrastructure. They determined, however, that Linux had a better TCO than Windows 2000 when it came to web serving. The report also found that the greatest cost was not in the procurement of software and hardware, but in staffing costs and downtime. The report did not take into consideration the impact of downtime to the profitability of the business (although they did apply a 40% productivity factor, in order to recognise that employees are not entirely unproductive during periods of IT infrastructure downtime) though it did find that Linux servers had less unplanned downtime than Windows 2000 Servers. They found that most Linux servers ran less workload per server than Windows 2000 servers and also found that none of the businesses they interviewed used 4-way SMP Linux computers. IDC also did not take into account specific application servers — servers that need low maintenance and are provided by a specific vendor — when they performed their study. The report did emphasise that TCO was only one factor in considering whether to use a particular IT platform, and also noted that as management and server software improved and became better packaged the overall picture that was being shown in their report could change.
Criticism
This study was one of the most criticised studies, since Microsoft funded it. Many editorials were written about the study.Jon "maddog" Hall has stated that "the TCO is useless, because that's only about what the software costs- it doesn't talk about what the software is worth." He explains that from a consumer perspective, cost is only important when considered in relation to the utility gained from the software, pointing out the frequency of downtime experienced by users as some variables which should be considered in a making a rational decision.
Cybersource TCO study: Linux versus Windows
MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
-based Cybersource compared in 2004 the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of running Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
versus Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in the enterprise. Its studies found that Linux was 36% cheaper than Windows, when taking into account the software cost as well as service, support and upgrades. The study done in 2004 was an update on their previous studies in 2002, and found the same results.
"Get the Facts"
Get the Facts was an advertising campaign launched by MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
in 2004 to convince users to switch from Linux to Windows Server System. It was originally focused on comparing the total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership is a financial estimate whose purpose is to help consumers and enterprise managers determine direct and indirect costs of a product or system...
(TCO) of Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
to Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, but later compared reliability, security and interoperability. Microsoft claims that its products have a lower overall TCO than open source programs, proposing that the Windows server platforms offered improved ease of use leading to these savings.
As part of the "Get the Facts" campaign Microsoft highlighted the .NET
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
trading platform that it had developed in partnership with Accenture for the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
, claiming that it provided "five nines
High availability
High availability is a system design approach and associated service implementation that ensures a prearranged level of operational performance will be met during a contractual measurement period....
" reliability. After suffering extended downtime and unreliability the LSE announced in 2009 that it was planning to drop its Microsoft solution and switch to a Linux based one in 2010.
Response
Microsoft's figures are disputed by a variety of organisations, notably NovellNovell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
and The Register
The Register
The Register is a British technology news and opinion website. It was founded by John Lettice, Mike Magee and Ross Alderson in 1994 as a newsletter called "Chip Connection", initially as an email service...
. Some websites suggest that some common inaccuracies in Microsoft's figures stem from including figures for Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
and Solaris
Solaris Operating System
Solaris is a Unix operating system originally developed by Sun Microsystems. It superseded their earlier SunOS in 1993. Oracle Solaris, as it is now known, has been owned by Oracle Corporation since Oracle's acquisition of Sun in January 2010....
with figures for Linux. Individual Linux and Unix administrators may have higher salaries than Windows administrators, but they tend to be more efficient and thus able to handle more servers.
In 2004, the Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
(ASA) of the UK warned Microsoft that an ad from the campaign which claimed that "Linux was ... 10 times more expensive than Windows Server 2003", was "misleading", as the hardware chosen for the Linux server was needlessly expensive. The ASA's complaint was that "the measurements for Linux were performed on an IBM zSeries [mainframe], which was more expensive and did not perform as well as other IBM series." The comparison was to Windows Server 2003 running on two 900 MHz Intel Xeon
Xeon
The Xeon is a brand of multiprocessing- or multi-socket-capable x86 microprocessors from Intel Corporation targeted at the non-consumer server, workstation and embedded system markets.-Overview:...
CPUs.
New campaign
In 2009 Microsoft launched another "Get the facts" campaign which compared Internet Explorer 8Internet Explorer 8
Windows Internet Explorer 8 is a web browser developed by Microsoft in the Internet Explorer browser series. The browser was released on March 19, 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7. Both 32-bit and 64-bit builds are available...
to Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and Google Chrome
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or...
. It was criticized for misleading comparisons. Microsoft says that IE is the only browser with tab isolation and crash recovery, however Chrome and Opera
Opera (web browser)
Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
also have them.
Windows XP Home Edition vs. Windows ME Public Report
American Institutes for Research conducted a comparative usability study of Microsoft’s Windows XP Home Edition and Windows Millennium Edition (ME) in August and September 2001. The goal of the study was to assess the differences in usability between the two operating systems’ user interfaces.Thirty-six individuals participated in the comparative evaluation. AIR recruited 12 people in each of three user experience groups—Novice, Beginner, and Intermediate—as categorized by Microsoft’s Windows Knowledge Screener. Each participant performed the same tasks using both operating systems. Further, participants had no experience with either Windows ME or Windows XP before participating in the study. In order to eliminate learning effects, half of the participants performed the tasks using Windows ME first, and half used Windows XP first.
The study was conducted as a task-based evaluation in which participants attempted to complete a series of timed tasks. The set of tasks was designed to reflect ordinary usage of both operating systems. Intermediates attempted all 30 tasks, while Novices and Beginners attempted 28 tasks.
Test administrators recorded whether or not participants successfully completed each task as well as the amount of time it took them to complete the task. In addition, they administered the system usability scale
System Usability Scale
In systems engineering, the system usability scale is a simple, ten-item attitude Likert scale giving a global view of subjective assessments of usability...
, a ten-question survey that yields a score describing a system's overall effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. At the end of each participants’ second test session, the test administer also asked which operating system they preferred and why. The results of the study suggest that, overall, the Windows XP interface is an improvement over the Windows ME interface. Primary findings of the comparison are as follows:
- On average, participants were able to complete 17.20% more tasks using Windows XP than using Windows ME.
- On average, participants completed the same tasks faster with Windows XP than with Windows ME.
- Prior Windows experience appeared to correlate with task performance more so with Windows XP than with Windows ME. With Windows XP, Intermediates successfully completed the largest percentage of tasks, followed by Beginners, then Novices. With Windows ME, Beginners completed the largest percentage of tasks, followed by Intermediates, and then Novices.
- Statistical analysis of the System Usability Scale (SUS) indicates that participants subjectively rated Windows XP as being more usable than Windows ME.
- After using both operating systems, 78% of participants preferred Windows XP over Windows ME.