[Gllug] [OT] Support model for Linux vs M$

[j.roberts]

First, let me point out that I am not prepared to enter into an 
'argument' over this. This point has been well hashed over many times, 
here and elsewhere.

salsaman at xs4all.nl wrote:
...

> Can you give a few examples of Windows software for which there exists no
> Free alternative ? I am frequently asked by FOSS developers for ideas for
> products to develop.

Certainly. This is almost exclusively vertical-market applications. 
There are many, specific to industries, - but I will select just two:

- case management software for solicitor's practices

- property portfolio management for commercial estate agents.

These share certain characteristics that make them unattractive 
(apparently) to OS developers:

1. They are market and legislature-dependent. That is, the law around 
the issues is different in (say) US, IRL, NL, ES, - and even from 
Scotland to that in England.

2. The professions are generally controlled by central bodies and only 
software approved by those central bodies can help practices avoid the 
risk of legal claims based on use of non-certified software.

3. There are significant costs to get the central body to certify.

4. These systems provide a framework which must be customised 
extensively for each individual client site (due to different working 
practices etc).

5. There is a heavy and continuous support load so all installations 
come with a support contract

6. The systems must be annually revised as the legislative framework changes

7. The system frameworks are generally cruddy macro-based patchworks 
around the central Microsoft toolset of Word, Outlook, Exchange, and an 
accounts package, usually from Sage. This does however leverage the 
(minimal but existing) IT skills of the practitioners.

8. The systems typically tie in to 3rd party separately-maintained 
components that provide essential functionality. For solicitors, this is 
a source of 'precedents' or pre-drafted legal papers that reflect 
current law (and so are updated regularly) and that are supplied on a 
subscription basis, by licence from other central bodies, and that only 
support certain API's (ie MS API's).

For an example just Google 'solicitor case management' or 'commercial 
estate management software'.

This overall represents a totally different proposition to that of 
developing a new spreadsheet, say.

Having been involved in the development of a (obsolete but effective) 
DOS and macro-based system back in the very early 90's (pre-Linus), I'd 
be delighted to have a FLOSS alternative.

But I won't hold my breath.

> But you exist in the IT consultancy market, no ? 

No.  That's just a bit of what we do.

> So you are allowing your
> predecessors to foist THEIR costs on you, and you accept this without
> complaint ?
> 
> Imagine you were a financial consultant, and your predecessor had tried to
> lock somebody into a very badly perfoming pension scheme. Would you advise
> them to continue with the scheme, or would you advise them to cut their
> losses and switch to a superior scheme ?
> 
> Why should things be any different in IT ?

Because this is a false comparison.

The costs that have been invested in the 'training' of staff and the 
provision of workstations and Windows are sunk costs. Retraining costs 
are new costs.

In the TOTAL absence of any available software to do the job from the 
FLOSS side - the question is moot.

Don't get me wrong - I'd like this to be different. But it is not.

> So they have no network engineers, system managers, programmers...anything

Absolutely none. That's what WE do for them :)

And I think that's quite enough of my time on this for today :)

Cheers.


-- 

James Roberts
Stabilys.com
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