31 Aug
2008
31 Aug
'08
11:20 a.m.
but when does someone get the source code for anything, outside of open source warez?
(curious what open source stuff TD is using...)
--- On Sat, 8/30/08, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
From: Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Free Linux and OpenOffice - even if your email address doesn't
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2008, 5:11 PM
is worth something,
> Linux $0, *BSD $0, OpenOffice.org $0. And
you
don't have to be a
> student or teacher. It's the same price
no
matter what TLD your email
address
is behind.
I would disagree with that - nothing is free. My time and unless you are volunteering up your free
time to support, it ain't free.
My sanity and stress-level is worth something too. And
having had
dealings with the so-called 'support deparetments'
of several companies
including M$, I have ocme to the conclusion that it's
quicker and cheaper
to support things muself. Although actually, I've found
the support from
the authors of free software to be a lot more helpful in
solving prolems
(whether caused by a bug in their code or not) than any
company I've had
dealings with.
Second, I work for a multi-billion dollar
company, and
there is NO WAY on
this earth any minutely-responsible IT
department is going to run ANYTHING unsupported in a
production environment,
especially with SOX and other
requirements.
And there is no way I am going to use anything I can't
support myself.
Which means I won't depend on any hardware I don't
have full schematics
for, I won't depend on any software I don't have
the source code for. I
don;t require it to be 'open', I don't mind if
the schematics and source
are not freely copyable and that I have to pay to get, say,
a technical
manaual containing said schematics.
-tony