Open source reshaping services market

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Easily your best post ever

I am not sure I agree with every point, but it was bot a more complete thought and a better logic string than you ussually post.

Here are a couple of thoughts.

"Given a choice, the majority of people (and companies) will choose to buy something they can use and manage themselves over something requiring a support contract."

That is not necessarily true these days. Outsoucing (the kind that does not mean offshoring) is becoming more and more popular. What is the biggest buzz in the enterprise space? Utility computing. That is the best of both worlds, if it ever actually works. I get ease of use and I get someone else to service.

"Given a choice, the majority of people (and companies) will choose to buy something they can use and manage themselves over something requiring a support contract. That means there are two possibilities, either Linux (open source in general) must be come much easier to use and administer, or it won't receive wide spread adoption. (Wide spread as in market share.)"

I think you intended to state "desktop linux" here. Complexity is rarely a corperate dicission factor when buying. Complexity to integrate yes. Completxity to opperate, no.

"when the open source community stops with the fascination of copying Microsoft and instead looks at OSX as the right way to implement Linux, then you will see a massive paradigm shift in the public's mind that you can have both, ease of use, and open source OS/Software without the need of expensive service contracts."

I would disagree to a certain extent. I think there is a real MS mindset out there that we do not realize we are under. Why do we have OSS GUI projects deveoping software? Why do we have distributions that add 4 different Wordprocessors and 7 different Terminal programs out of the box in the inital install?

I think that there is an opportunity for a middle ground. Linux must become simpler for the standard user to use. Part of this equation is to just pick one of each. Go with Open Office or Koffice, but not both! I can figure it out, but my wife cannot!

I also think there are groups out there doing too many different things. If you want to develop the best GUI, one of the best ways to sabotage yourself is to divide your efforts in to a bunch of things that do not advance your goal. this would have the best products on the market more quickly making Desktop Linux more viable in a shorter period of time.

That being said, with the reduction of cost of software with OSS, there is lots of opportunity to purchase some reasonable service plan that still makes it a win - win for both parties. The issue is that that means you have to make your money on volume. That means you have to market more effectively, that means you have to charge a little (more) to cover that expense, that has you on the corperate treadmill instead of the pioneering free spirits OOS developers like to be.

The introduction of companies like IBM, SUN, and Novell into the Linux space may very well be what it takes to push it mainstream. It may also end up being something Stallman would abhor by the time it does take over.

Posted by: Mack DaNife   Posted on: 01/10/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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