Report: "Windows is cheaper than Linux" is correct
ZDNet | at | by Mike
Recently, a study conducted by IDC and funded by Microsoft found that (gasp!), over a five-year period, Windows had a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than Linux.
Certainly there are configuration issues, but having worked with both Linux and Windows, my experience over the last two years has clearly shown that Linux takes longer to configure and troubleshoot than Windows.
The quality of these modifications differ from company to company--and not just the quality of the coding, but especially the quality of documentation, if it even exists. This can make fixing an ailing Linux box time-consuming--and time costs money, especially when you're paying a Linux guru who charges twice as much as an MCSE pro.