I am simply stating that Microsoft technologies are not as bad as everyone is led to believe or is pre-programmed to say.
Following on from this, I had a meeting about 6 months ago regarding data migration with a large UK consultancy firm who install network infrastructure for councils/schools/colleges etc. Naturally, they are pro-MS and use Windows Server 2008, SQL 2008 etc etc.
I immediately was all guns blazing about Open Source giving it the usual - why aren’t you using Open Source Linux stuff for imaging, security such as PacketFence, mail server instead of Exchange etc and his argument was very simple.
He respected everything I said and said yes if it was up to him he’d consider using Open Source stuff and said that some of the stuff Linux developers come up with is very very cool - but it comes down to support. If something goes wrong with a Microsoft product like a bug is found in SQL Server, they are responsible to fix it. The licenses cost money and therefore the writer of the product is obliged to rectify it.
With Linux on the other hand, no one is obliged to fix it or come to your premises to perform onsite repair/replace hardware etc etc. And in some cases you need to wait for the developers/contributors of the project to release fixes to the software. Being a large large company they obviously can’t afford to take those risks. Especially with an industry such as education as most network managers are MCSE or equivalent trained and don’t have much or any experience maintaining Linux servers etc.