1) source code... so what - if you are just a user *shrugs* what does that matter... sorry to throw a devil's punch in there, but I can't code worth a crap and just b/c my smart guy got hit by a truck doesn't make me feel any better if I'm now the one who has to make something happen (sans finding a replacement that will understand coding). I'm sure you didn't mean to just state that from a developer's (or smart and informed person's) point of view, but you gotta think of the lay man too. :) Some people just "use" software that is available to them, no matter how it got there, what it runs on, etc. :p so have fun with those comments. :)
1.1) if I got hit by a Mack Truck, my office would have a hissy fit! But it's good to know I'd be missed. :D the Mack Truck rule definitely exists here. 1.2) when I started here, I had 4 Windows servers to admin... now we have 14 servers, 5 of which are Linux. yeah me! ;) 1.3) my numbering of paragraphs is stupid... haha! 1.4) laters, David McD On 4/20/06, Charles Fischer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > As a one person image processing software company I choose to go the > open source route for the following reasons: > 1) Mack Trucks. Small companies have to compete with large > companies and the large companies' sales people always bring up the > question of what happens if the small company goes out of business or > the main guy gets hit by a Mack Truck. By using open source software > the small company can counter that it does not matter (at least as > much) because the customer has the source code, and the rights to > have anybody modify it. Some small closed source companies will put > their source code in escrow as a counter to the Mack Truck argument, > but this does not have all of the advantages to the customer as the > open source counter argument. > 2) Open source has marketing cache. When engineering customers here > "Open Source" many relax, because all questions about modifications > and third party access become mute. Many PHBs now here "Open Source" > and think cheap. Both are good for the open source company and came > without spending a dime on advertising. > 3) My business model is to make money on customized solutions for > OEM's, researchers and quality control inspection stations. Charging > for the basic software is not a big money maker, nor is it a big time > consumer. Support is the biggest time consumer, and being able to > charge for that time is necessary. A lot of customers have a problem > paying $4799 for a software package and then being charged for > support. Few customers object to being billed for modifications. > > In summary I feel that open source has the ability to level the > playing field between large and small companies. PHBs want to know > why somebody writes open source software for reasons that PHBs > understand. My experience with PHBs points to money as the only > motivating factor for PHBs. So a small company can use open source > as a way to penetrate markets that are dominated by large companies > and make money by providing good service at a better price then the > large companies. > > Good luck > Charles Fischer > > > -- > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > -- TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/
