On Sun, 24 Dec 2017 12:47:51 -0800 (PST) Rich Shepard <rshep...@appl-ecosys.com> wrote:
> Grahame, > > And that's one of the reasons we run F/OSS software: choices. > There are always multiple ways of accomplishing any task. Quoted For Truth! The absolute truth! Choice and DIY-ability (which is another aspect of choice) is the major reason I use F/OSS. Before getting involved in F/OSS in 1998, I used to pay about $2K per year for software, and I had no problem doing so. With most of my proprietary software, I got my money's worth and more. But you had to do everything the software's way. You couldn't shellscript everything into exactly what you wanted. Often you couldn't add or change features. And all too often, native formats were secret binary that you couldn't mess with. Now I create my UMENU2 lightning fast menu system with tab indented outlines made in VimOutliner. I put tokens in a LyX file and run a Python program against it to get the exact heading numbers I want in my trainer instruction document. I have a diploma, made in Inkscape, whose .svg contains tokens so that I can fill out a YAML file and print diplomas for the whole class, with each student's name, the instructor name, dates, course name, and company name. Scripts personalize my LyX files with the customer's name. A script reads my Gnumeric book order file, deduces which books are print instead of eBooks, and prints mailing labels in the proper fonts for mailing. To me, this customization opportunity to implement my choice of workflow and product is what makes F/OSS so wonderful. SteveT Steve Litt December 2017 featured book: Thriving in Tough Times http://www.troubleshooters.com/thrive
