The multifaceted race between the proprietary Windows operating system and the open source Linux platform doesn't always have a clear winner. According to a study commissioned to Vital Wave Consulting by Microsoft, Window and Linux are on par when it comes down to the large number of computer deployments in schools located in emerging markets in regard to the Total Cost of Ownership. James Utzschneider, General Manager of Marketing and Communications for Unlimited Potential, indicated that the costs associated with maintaining a Linux IT environment in schools for under-served student populations worldwide make no differentiation between Linux and Windows.

“We wanted to understand if Linux has a cost advantage over Windows when it comes to deploying large numbers of PCs into schools in emerging market countries. The study indicates that both operating systems have about the same TCO for these types of scenarios. Windows systems have a slightly higher up front purchase price, but this is offset by the hirer salaries required for Linux-skilled systems administrators in places like China and South America. So over a five year period, the total costs for a school system to deploy and maintain a large number of Windows PCs and Linux PCs are about the same,” Utzschneider revealed.

The Vital Wave Consulting study indicates that the initial advantage owned by Linux, with the operating system being available for free, is offset in the end because of financial resources that need to be poured into administering an infrastructure based on the open source platform. In this regard, over a five year period, the costs of deploying and managing Linux and Windows are virtually the same. According to Vital Wave Consulting, on Mainstream computers, schools would end up spending approximately $3,000 while for ultra-low cost machines, they will need to pay just over $2,000.

“For me, the huge, eye-opening takeaway from this work isn't that Windows and Linux cost about the same to put into school labs in poor countries, it's that the 5 year cost of ownership for doing so is about $2,700. That's right, $2,700. At a time when the press likes to write about whether the $100 laptop costs $200 or $300, economists who live in the countries where these systems are being deployed went out, assessed actual computer implementations, and came back with an estimate that the actual 5 year ownership cost is about 10 times as much,” Utzschneider added.