[AccessD] OT: open source

On 6 Apr 2004 at 15:51, Francisco H Tapia wrote:

> which the various distros have improved their desktop products.  I
> also must concur that a standardized GUI would be the killer blow that
> would/will ultimately drive hords of users away from Microsoft.  I

I actually don't think that a standard GUI alone will push people 
away from MS. It *has* to be packaged with more user friendlyness. 
I'm no dummy, but there are days that make me go "Why the <insert 
expletive> did I ever think looking at Linux was a good idea" Just 
because of the way Slackware based distros are different from RedHat 
based distros which are different from Debian based distros.

> base my opinion off such distros like RedHat or even the newest one
> I've seen (Knopixx).  Wich is an OS bootable completely off the CD. 

Knoppix is COOL!!!!

> With High end products such as ThunderBird and FireFox and even some
> of the OpenOffice products, Open Source products are reaching maturity
> levels that are acceptable to a wider population.  Some of the

Maturity of the apps is what will make Open Source software more 
viable in the long run. If it can compete feature for feature with 
the MS version, or at least the features needed, why drop the cash on 
the MS version?

> A greater risk than vulnerabilities in MS software is not so much the
> security holes, but the COST of the software.  You have many college
> students that simply can't afford to go w/ MS Office so they use
> OpenOffice.  While not all do, the trend is steadily climing, and w/
> the avalability getting better and the quaility reaching acceptace
> from the general public, this will help push more OpenSource software
> into the main stream.

I think that cost will play a part, I don't think that it will play a 
large part overall. Now, I'm talking about corporate acceptance and 
not home use. 

For the home user, I think that it will start to play a part in the 
decision making, more than it would a corporate IT department.

And that is one of the imortant distinctions that needs to be made. 
Home users will look at the out of pocket costs. Corporate users will 
look at the overall costs and the availability of Enterprise level 
software.

-- 
Bryan Carbonnell - carbonnb at sympatico.ca
If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a 
horrible warning.