Even Microsoft are feeling the pinch but is there more to it?

It seems that even Microsoft are feeling the credit crunch with the announcement last week of a cut of 5% of its workforce (about 5,000 jobs).

Sales of their Windows operating system were considerably below expectation. This is partially due to a drop in PC sales but also because consumers are buying more Netbooks, on which Microsoft makes less money.

But something that Microsoft has failed to mention is that many Netbooks and laptop-style computers are now being shipped with a choice of operating systems (OS). Many Netbook manufacturers also offer Linux as an OS.

Linux is an Open Source (free to download and use) Operating System. It’s increasingly popular as an operating system choice on Netbooks because of its fast speed, smaller size and also because there is very little likelihood that users will be forced to upgrade because the manufacturer has replaced the OS with a newer version. I’m not a fan of Microsoft for just this reason: every few years they try and force you to pay to upgrade to their latest edition.

I’m also not a great fan of Microsoft because, having worked in the IT industry, their software has traditionally been expensive, over-featured, slow and unreliable. In Microsoft’s favour, though, they certainly have quickened the pace of adoption in personal computing.

These days though, there’s little need to pay much for software. There is so much stuff available for free that I’m surprised that Microsoft gets away with charging so much.

So if you’re sick of paying through the nose for software then visit my free business software page and learn how much you might save.

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