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Service Contracts
I've never noticed service contracts disappearing. In the enterprise you pay for support and subscription with almost every system out there be it Unix, Linux, or Microsoft.

As for the home user service contracts aren't sold separately. When you buy PC off the shelf from Dell, HP or what ever the service contract is part of the price of the PC. This why I can build a PC and save serveral hundred dollars. Of course this is disappearing with the sub $500 PCs but at the same time I notice friends and family are calling me with more and more problems due to buying those machines.

So to me that is the problem with Open Software. Home users will pay a little more for a Dell that comes with support but they sure aren't going to buy a Dell with support then load Linux unless that support is part of the Dell coverage. A linux distro all alone will fail to win the hearts of average joe home user.

Now where I think Open Source will flurish is the home theatre. Microsoft while they have a decent product is wildly expensive. With Linux you can take that old 1.5 Ghz PC and add a few extra componets then load Linux and Myth TV. This of course is assuming they ever get Myth TV user friendly to install. Right now it can be a nightmare but if you get it working it's sweet!

I wonder, could it be viable. A service based business that sell preconfigured Myth TV? Could work, maybe.
Posted by: voska   Posted on: 01/10/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Internet Explorer - Open Source  rhansen@... | 01/10/05
Won't happen  alterego_z | 01/10/05
Won't happen, can't happen (not anytime soon anyway!)  jezter~ | 01/10/05
"nefarious exploitation" is only a problem.  Anton Philidor | 01/10/05
IE is at the core of the OS  nucrash | 01/10/05
True but False.  vdraken | 01/10/05
IE Is Already In Open Source Community  itanalyst | 01/10/05
People are way over-thinking this  Chad_z | 01/10/05
Correct me if I'm wrong...  Michael Kelly | 01/10/05
Back in the day I use to work for a mom and pop  Laff | 01/10/05
Not about operating systems.  Anton Philidor | 01/10/05
ObQuirk!  Yagotta B. Kidding | 01/10/05
Replace "Red Hat with SuSE" and you have something that makes sense  Michael Kelly | 01/10/05
Think about the ISV certifications...  Anton Philidor | 01/10/05
Novell should be just as big a concern to Sun  Michael Kelly | 01/10/05
I Only Use Support As Last Resort  itanalyst | 01/10/05
OEM and proprietary software support...  Michael Kelly | 01/10/05
And the wheel turns again... (Or, nothing is ever new.)  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/10/05
Vanishing services market  Yagotta B. Kidding | 01/10/05
I think you make my point.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/10/05
Service Contracts  voska | 01/10/05
That's wild  seosamh_z | 01/10/05
Insightful, Well Thought Out...Good Post....Did I Say That??  itanalyst | 01/10/05
Services never really were aimed at the desktop  Michael Kelly | 01/10/05
If you buy, they will sell.  Anton Philidor | 01/10/05
about staffing  voska | 01/10/05
See: I think you make my point. (nt)  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/10/05
Easily your best post ever  Mack DaNife | 01/10/05
A good point.  Anton Philidor | 01/10/05
RMS  Yagotta B. Kidding | 01/10/05
re RMS  Iain_Peters | 01/10/05
Re: re RMS  Mack DaNife | 01/11/05
Philosophy  seosamh_z | 01/10/05
Secret science  Yagotta B. Kidding | 01/10/05
Thoughts  Mack DaNife | 01/11/05
Enough of the back slapping, treat the post with the contempt it deserves  Richard Flude | 01/11/05
Clearification  Mack DaNife | 01/11/05
Link To Famous Debate Online  itanalyst | 01/10/05
As it turned out...  Michael Kelly | 01/10/05
LOL  vdraken | 01/10/05

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