I saw today that Microsoft announced (Forbes article) a new pricing plan for their “OneCare Live” service. For the low low price of $49.95 a year, you can now let Microsoft keep your system Spyware & Virus Free. Just don’t ask why you got those Viruses & Spyware in the first place.

So let’s think about it for a minute. What does it take to keep a desktop running in today’s world?

  • Windows – There’s a new version about every 2 years, usually around $100, so $50 a year.
  • AntiVirus, Firewall, & Anti-Spyware – Let Microsoft do it for $50 a year, Norton Systemworks will do it for $70, and McAfee will do it for $50.
  • Productivity – Word Processing, Spreadsheets, and Presentations.. Sadly, only one real option: Microsoft Office .. Comes out about every 2 years, with upgrade costs of around $250
  • Photo Editing – Again, only one real option: Adobe Photoshop .. Comes out every year, around $650
  • Code Development – Microsoft Visual Studio , for the low low price of $200 – $1200 depending on the features.

and
many more. It seems that every year the cost to just have a basically
functional PC goes higher and higher, with the appreciable benefits not
really changing. Of course you can always make the argument of “Why
Upgrade if what you have isn’t broken?” Well, the software companies
have gotten the great idea of charging for bug-fixes, and calling them
“Features”. Don’t want Office to crash when you open your document?
Then upgrade to Office XP!

Things like this are really what’s gonna put Linux & Open-Source into homes. Just for comparison:

  • Linux – Well, it’s free.. If you like, you can buy a copy with support from one of the big boys like Novell Suse for $50 or $100. But, it’s so different from WIndows that maybe it’s not for you..
  • AntiVirus – Not really necessary on LInux, but if you insist then there are antivirus solutions out there like ClamAV for antivirus, but it’s free. On windows, there is also a version of ClamAV and other options like Avast! 4 which is free for home users.
  • Firewall
    - Linux & Windows both come with one built-in. In fact, if you’re a
    “modern PC user”, then you probably already have a broadband router.
    What alot of people don’t know is that in most cases, a router is just
    as good as a firewall.
  • AntiSpyware – Again, not something you usually have to worry about on Linux. On Windows, there are plenty of free options: AdAware is free, or can be registered for $40, and Spybot S&D is completely free.
  • Productivity – Lots of options here… For the MS Office inclined, you have OpenOffice & StarOffice (Free or $70, your pick) .. Then there’s also the options like Gnumeric and Abiword if you want to piecemeal your own solution.
  • Graphics – well, this one still probably goes to Photoshop. IF you’re adventurous (or penny-pinching, like me) then there’s The Gimp which runs on all platforms.
  • Code Development – Of course there’s GCC, but alot of people want IDE’s. For those of you, check out BloodShed, Code::Blocks, and Anjuta, three great freely available IDE’s that run on Windows, and some even Linux.

So
there’s a complete system that’s “functionally equivalent” (for
probably 90% of people out there anyway) that’s basically free (maybe
$100 if you buy Windows). Is commercial software bad? No, not really.
Corporations & Companies love it because when there’s money,
there’s liability. But for all us “regular joe’s”, it’s getting too
pricy to manage. Honestly though, what does Windows “do” anymore? You
buy it, you install it, and then what? It doesn’t do jack until you go
buy more software. I remember when DOS actually came with BASIC
interpreters, now you can barely even find Batch-files mentioned.
Install any version of Linux and you get more software than you’ll ever
hope to use in your lifetime.

Could
this be the real downfall of Microsoft? Not monopolistic lawsuits or
violent overthrows, but simply having a piece of software that’s too
expensive for the Public to afford, for what little it honestly does.
Given the stuff that’s showing up in Windows Vista,
“What it does” is going to get even smaller with all the new DRM
features (Limited copying of songs & movies, mandatory DRM-aware
monitors, restricted media, etc). Could this be the beginning of the
end? Could the sudden popularity of things like OpenDocument by groups as significant as the Massachusetts State Legistature be the first signs?

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