Credit Crunch - Is it good for linux?

[ibizatunes]

Currently the global money situation isnt good... There will be winner and losers of this situation,
ie porn shops (not the sex ones) are doing a great trade currently, bank are doing rubbish! w

With the simple fact that money is getting tighter, will linux growth increase faster as a result?!
The fact upgrading to vista etc will be more expensive and people need to save the pennies will linux benfit from this?!

Just a thought!

[3rdalbum]

I literally think it will be bad for everyone and good for no-one.

In some cases, it will cause businesses to look at Linux for lower costs in the long-term. In other cases, it will cause businesses to want to stick with Windows because it won't require retraining and hiring a team to deploy Linux.

The cost saving from sticking with Windows won't actually be real, but it will be a percieved saving.

So I don't think Linux will actually gain anything from this. We'll probably see lower funds towards Linux development too, which is not good.

[ibizatunes]

Place like my mums school / government organization have just started using Linux, due the fact that support / new hardware is expensive! So if more children use Linux in the long run Linux may grow quicker
And if governments start using development will increase as well
1 million laptop with Linux on it,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7642985.stm
XP would have been silly money for all the licenses!

[Paqman]

With the simple fact that money is getting tighter, will linux growth increase faster as a result?!


Nope, I think when money is tight people are more likely to stick with the status quo.

[Alasdair]

Most people will just use the operating system that comes pre-installed on their PC's. Even if people spend less on computers they will probably still be getting windows on them, not linux.



ie porn shops (not the sex ones) are doing a great trade currently, bank are doing rubbish!
I think you mean pawn shops. :)

[DrMega]

The fact upgrading to vista etc will be more expensive and people need to save the pennies will linux benfit from this?!

I doubt it. Microsoft is currently the best freind of Linux, because they are trying to clamp down on the number of pirated copies of Windows that are out there. Some people don't care about the cost or the morals. That's why there are so many torrent sites (I know that some stuff is legal, but there's loads of dodgy copies of stuff out there).

[lisati]

Nope, I think when money is tight people are more likely to stick with the status quo.

I agree...

[smoker]

i don't think the credit crunch will be good for anyone, though perhaps it will hit the sales of another operating system(?) more than it will slowdown the uptake of linux.

more people though will have essentials only to spend money on, and computing may not be too high on the list, i'm not sure about business use, certainly they will have to prioritise budgets, so replacement equipment may be put on the back-burner.

[orasis]

It's amazing that slogans are repeated ad nauseum without thinking about the history of the world..

This is not a 'credit crunch' it's business as usual. Every hundred years, if you look, the banks simply collapse the economy. It makes sense to let you build everything - create wealth and equity, indebt you and then collapse it so you can then buy it up for nothing.

It's not going to be a 'crunch' as such - The world's economy is to be collapsed, and we are going to be submerged into the 'International' system we helped create - such as the IMF/WB etc.

Africa and other third world nations were the testing ground - that's what's coming.

[Johnsie]

Less people will buy new hardware. I think that means mac sales will go down. I think more people will just pirate windows. Most people assume they got windows for free anyway. Even people who buy new computers will buy the linux ones and 'upgrade' to windows. I don't think it will make much difference.

Also, if more people use Linux there will be more spyware/viruses

[billgoldberg]

Less people will buy new hardware. I think that means mac sales will go down. I think more people will just pirate windows. Most people assume they got windows for free anyway. Even people who buy new computers will buy the linux ones and 'upgrade' to windows. I don't think it will make much difference.

Also, if more people use Linux there will be more spyware/viruses

"More" implies they are some of them now.

As far as I am aware, they are no viruses out in the wild that can affect an up to date linux OS.