Benifits of Open Source OS

Total Cost of Ownership
Open Source systems are dramatically less expensive than proprietary systems in initial cost. The Open Source OS such as Unix,Linux,Suse,Mendrin are free, easy to install and easy to use. The extra value added by these efforts results in a very low initial cost. There are many open source software applications like OpenOffice which are free or low-cost whose quality equals--and in many cases surpasses--the quality of proprietary software applications.

Maintenance

Open source software and operating systems can often be easier to maintain over the long run than their proprietary counterparts. With open source software such as the Mozilla,Firefox web browser, a friendly reminder notifies you to download updates. The onscreen instructions are easy to walk through. When you next go online, the updates are installed and operating.
Other types of open source software, such as OpenOffice.org, is very stable, robust, and functional for long periods of time, and there is no need for frequent updates. Open source operating systems can also run stably, robustly, and continuously for long periods without crashing or causing problems, therefore little maintenance is necessary.

Finally, security issues and maintenance issues are connected. For example, there are frequent security flaws discovered in proprietary OS and software, consequently frequent downloads and maintenance for these systems are mandatory. Open source software and OS are inherently more secure. There are far fewer security patches to download and install because the software contains far fewer security flaws.

Licenses

With open source systems, licensing is virtually a non-issue! How is this possible? Because open source software and operating systems are licensed in an entirely different fashion that includes customer rights of distribution. Much open source software and operating systems are distributed under the GNU Public License, which is different than a traditional proprietary license. The GNU Public License gives you as a customer far more freedom and flexibility in how you install, copy, and use the product. Since much open source software is free, you can have as many copies of it as you like! Even open source system licenses you pay for are often far less restrictive than proprietary licenses. Not only does this type of licensing save you money in the initial purchase of an open source system, it often saves you a lot of money in the long run over upgrades, which are often inexpensive or even free. Upgrades for proprietary systems are sometimes almost as expensive as the initial purchase

Reliability

Because Open source systems are inherently more stable, they enjoy considerably greater uptime than proprietary systems. Open source systems simply do not crash or freeze as often as proprietary systems do. This increased uptime means increased consecutive productive work hours combined with a decrease in time spent on crash recovery, document recovery, and troubleshooting.

Tried & Tested

Open source systems are tried and tested by government agencies, universities, and scientific institutions. Increasing numbers of such enterprises are migrating to open source platforms, including organizations for whom reliability and security are paramount concerns.

Legacy Support

Many proprietary system vendors cease supporting older versions of their products because they make more money by selling upgrades and new products. For many organizations, legacy applications must remain for a variety of reasons. Often, business owners are hit twice regarding upgrades, because in order to upgrade an application, the operating system, the hardware, or both must also be upgraded. Open source operating systems can often run on older computers that are too slow for the newest versions of proprietary software or operating systems. The open source community is comprised of people who are dedicated to what works best in a given situation, not necessarily to what's new. You may expect solid and lasting support for legacy applications and systems

Open Source Systems are Safer and More

Open source is the choice of organizations concerned about the safety and security of their data. The vast majority of viruses, worms, and browser hijacks simply do not affect open source systems. One reason why is that they all target Microsoft™ systems. The other reason is that proprietary systems are inherently less secure than open source systems.

It's a Matter of Trust

Proprietary software involves trust in a corporation where decisions are based on marketing and shareholder concerns, rather than the concerns of customers. Open source software involves trusting craftspeople who take pride in their work and their reputation among a community of their peers--the "shareholders" and the "customers" are one and the same.