Linux goes mainstream

“Linux is gaining momentum in nearly all corners of computing, and more and better programs now run on it. Now, it just needs a business model
For Mindbridge Chief Operating Officer and founder Scott Testa, the impetus for shifting to Linux came from a change in Microsoft’s licensing
policies. The new licenses, which push customers to pay annual subscription fees, would have boosted software costs at Mindbridge, a 300-employee
intranet software company, by tens of thousands of dollars annually. Testa figured that as long as Mindbridge was switching from Microsoft server
products, it might as well also move away from the Solaris operating system, the proprietary Unix software that runs only on expensive Sun
Microsystems’ hardware. “Mindbridge didn’t make the decision lightly. Migration snafus from switching server-operating systems can bring companies to a halt. But Testa claims
that Mindbridge experienced only a few minor glitches, and now he couldn’t be happier. “I’m not a Microsoft basher or a Solaris basher, but we’re
saving hundreds of thousands of dollars between support contracts, upgrade contracts, and hardware,” says Testa, who professes that even two years ago
he would have laughed off suggestions that he switch to Linux.”