I'll perpetuate this slightly off-topic, or at least meta-topic, thread
a bit more too....
[ On Wednesday, September 19, 2001 at 10:45:15 (+0200), Sheldon Hearn wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [Exim] exim in a commercial enviroment
>
> So it's not altogether unreasonable that management should be extremely
> skeptical of software offered for free.
I don't think the reasons you gave do not quite lead logically to the
above conclusion.
I think it's more a fear of the unknown, combined perhaps with a little
bit of unhealthy desire to be able to point the finger of blame well
away in another direction (i.e. instead of accepting responsiblity).
> Personally, I find the following simple strategy highly effective in
> convincing people that my views on open source software are at least
> worth listening to:
>
> Commercial software tends to be developed in pursuit of money.
>
> Free software tends to be developed in the pursuit of technical
> excellence.
>
> These are generalisations, of course, and any given software package
> should always be evaluated on its merits. However, this generalisation
> often brings skeptical management folks to the point where they're able
> to do so objectively.
Those are very fine and valid generalisations. However they don't
really give management enough of a solid reason to consider "open"
source software sometimes.
The real clincher, from a managers' perspective, is that should said
manager be willing to accept responsibility, then the use of "open"
source software gives them the control necessary to ensure that they can
have some affect over the outcome of the responsibility they've accepted
in doing their job.
I.e. with "open" source software the company (in the form of the
responsible manager) has direct and complete control over the viability
of their technical tools. They have the source, and they can fix any
bugs (or have them fixed), and add any feaures (or have them added).
This amount of control can almost never be had (for the same "price")
over any commercial software.
The only other major difference, from a management perspective, is that
with commercial software you can pay a vendor to NOT know the right
answers (or not give them to you even if they know them because doing so
may impede their ability to sell you a new version); whereas with "open"
software you can pay a consultant to find the real answers. (In either
case you can usually ask for help for free in open forums and get
half-baked answers too! ;-)
Who do you want to pay today? :-)
--
Greg A. Woods
+1 416 218-0098 VE3TCP <gwoods@???> <woods@???>
Planix, Inc. <woods@???>; Secrets of the Weird <woods@???>
