[SC.LUG] ping!

[Rick [Kitty5]]

Neil Lucock wrote:
> I was under the impression that an opinion on OO.org was just that.
> To be accused of telling a "barefaced lie" is beyond what you expect
> from a LUG member.

I apologise if I came across a bit strongly, white washing over the short
comings of open source software is a personal pet hate.

Migration is often a complicated operation and everyone is far to quick to
say xyz open source application is mostly as good as its windows equivalent,
only for the unsuspecting to find out the hard way that is doesn't do what
they have been lead to believe.

> I have used MS Office nearly every day at work for the last 4 years,
> I think I qualify as someone who uses it. (the only part I don't use
> is Access.) I said "for most users", meaning that the MS Office power
> user is bound to find something that OO.org doesn't do, but for
> everyday use, OO.org does everything you might expect.

Sure most users don't use the vast majority of ms office bells & whistles,
but you only need to work with a document that uses just one of the
'unsupported' features (and keep said feature intact) and your scuppered. If
your collaborating with a MS Office user you really have no choice. (and
thats aying nothing about working with Lotus & Corel users.)

> Perhaps you ought to have another look at OO.org?

I did, the upshot being that when I need to work with MS office documents on
my Linux desktop, I run MS Office with crossover office. I just want to get
on with the work, not spend an age fiddling about.

>> Its one thing to evangelise Linux & open source, its quite another
>> to trick people into trying it with claims that just don't hold
>> water. Once bitten twice shy and all that.
>
> Who's tricking whom? It's not as if it's going to cost £300 to try it
> out. What has anyone got to lose except 60 mb of hard drive space? If
> they are encouraged to try it and don't like it they can always get
> rid of it. Encouraging someone to try out the software can hardly
> fall into the category of "tricking them".

Opensource software is only free if your time has no value. In practice you
only have one shot at converting an individual or business to opensource,
helping them to make the switch with their eyes wide open to all the
pitfalls is surly better for all concerned. I would much rather tell someone
that Linux (etc) is not suitable for their needs than have them come back
feeling they have been utterly mislead.

Its for that very reason (for example) that I don't suggest my parents
switch to Linux even though they have expressed an interest. A combination
of KDE, OO.org & Mozilla will do everything they do at the moment easily
(and better than XP on their now aging p3-500). Except for internet banking,
which will only work from IE.

Rick

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