On Thu, Apr 14, 2005 at 02:16:07PM -0500, mb1-knetdome wrote:
I guess what I am attempting to express is that I hope the Open Source community model doesn't fizzle out some day due to lack of funds.
~James I agree with you. Well said Rich -- Rich Matson Reno, Nv. USA
i agree too, but track with me on how i see the fund-world vs. the free-world complimenting each other.
0. i got suse 9.0 for free.
1. i liked it so much i stopped using redhat/fedora and bought full copies of both suse 9.1 pro and suse 9.1 personal, one of only two distros i've used that were so impresive that i felt they easily deserved they money that was asked for them.
2. then i bought suse 9.2 update
3. and now i bought suse 9.3 update
4. directly from my input and influence, the gov't organization i work for has already implemented several suse linux servers and is now considering purchasing thousands of OES licenses and the associated support contracts because younger admins like me who are impressed by and familiar with suse are pushing for change from the inside... and it all started with me getting a free copy of suse 9.0.
Big deal, I've bought mutliple copies of SUSE, I make people around me buy it because I refuse to even copy it for them, and I won't even install it for them if they ask. I make them buy it, I wrote articles with SUSE, like product reviews for AntiOnline, Irecommend it to everyone, a friend of mine who's hiring me for a Govt job as a "Network Security professional" I made him take RedHat off, and now they even have it running on a big ol main frame. They are currently installing it on a few servers to give it a try, and they arebuying more because they were impressed as hell. And now, in my Network Analysis and Design class, EVERY LAPTOP IN THERE EXCEPT TWO ARE NOW RUNNING SUSE. All bought and paid for. And the Servers are maybe going to switch as well. I even got Teachers there who went out and nought it on my recommendations and use it now too. And if you ever visit AntiOnline, you'll know I more than make sales for them. And now that Novell owns it I push even harder so that they know SUSE is a well loved OS. I've gotten quite a few RedHat users to switch. Hell, usually the only thing I have to say is "You don't have to sign up for an account like with RHN" and they buy it. I've gotten people to pay for SUSE more than 100 times just on my word. I wrote tutorials, and I've written security tutorials for locking it down for specific server use.
i've personally answered thousands of questions on various forums from people with problems, to show them how linux can meet their needs. THIS is the spirit of the oss community model, THIS is why it works, and THIS is why the oss community model is not going to ever fizzle away no matter how much money you throw at it or take away from it. move over bacon, OSS is here to stay! [insert your own rousing national anthem here, because oss is for all the world, not just those who can afford to pay for it.]
there's no reason to fear or badmouth the free side of the oss community, we compliment each other.
What do you do for a living? Would you work hard on something and then when people started buying it, would you, who rely on this to eat, enjoy it if people downloaded it for free, and gave a lame excuse like "Well it's Open Source". Open Source, read the definition. Open Source does NOT mean no price, it means you have source code and a list of 9 rights.
stephen
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