The Shift In Linux Loyalty

Daniel Lyons writes on Forbes.com about 'Once Upon A Time Linux Fan ' Rick Carey when he was a chief technology architect at Merrill Lynch. Carey now holds a different view altogether due to changing policies of Red Hat w.r.t to pricing and licensing.

Carey says one reason he embraced Linux was its lower cost. But if Linux becomes almost as expensive as Windows, why not go with Windows, and benefit from the work of thousands of Microsoft engineers and programmers? Carey talks about "the innovation premium"--meaning the price you pay to get the latest and greatest.



"Most open source is imitation," Carey says. "Linux is an imitation of an operating system. If these [Linux] companies are going to create a price point that is significant enough that they are approaching the same pricing model as the innovation premium, why pay a premium for imitation when I can pay a premium and get innovation?"