Linux Good for Environment and Bottom Line

By Greg McNevin

March 12, 2007: A new report from the UK government has found that switching to Linux can not only cut costs but also help reduce the burden of e-waste by dramatically reducing hardware obsolescence.

As the world saw with the jump to Windows XP, and even more so now with Windows Vista hitting shelves, upgrading software in the Microsoft universe usually goes hand-in-hand with a significant hardware refresh. This leads to more obsolete PCs trickling down the food chain and eventually ending up in landfills.

The report claims that a typical hardware refresh period for Microsoft Windows is three to four years. Compare this to a six to eight year hardware refresh cycle for Linux systems, according to a major UK manufacturing organisation, and the benefits to both the environment and the organisation are obvious.

Switching to Linux is often cited as a way to cut software costs, however, next to this big savings can be made due to significantly lower system requirements open source solutions require. New life can be breathed into older hardware, while existing machines can have their lifespan greatly extended.

“Apart from reductions in the cost of software licences, benefits of Open Source can include cost avoidance through reductions in replacement cycles of hardware, improved software reliability and security, software platform stability, the ability to tailor and modify the software, easier administration, and greater scalability of hardware platforms,” claims the report.

By virtually doubling the lifespan of a typical PC, widespread migration to Linux could prevent millions of tons of e-waste according to ecogeek.org. “Every computer not needed would prevent the use of 240 kg of fossil fuels,” writes Mark Ontkush. “Spread that out over the 17.5 million computers that wouldn't be going obsolete every year and Linux could deliver the world a much more sustainable future.”

With increasing amounts of governments making the switch and PC vendors such as Dell mulling over user requests to offer Linux with new systems, the report is yet another sign that the open source movement is picking up speed. When the dust settles from Windows Vista’s release, Microsoft may find that upping the hardware ante so much may leave many of its business customers hanging onto XP rather than buying new computers, or jumping ship for Linux.

There are arguments to be made regarding old hardware requiring more power, thus producing more waste. However, emissions from the manufacture of new hardware are significantly higher, so by extending a PCs useful lifespan with Linux both businesses and the environment win.

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