Slashdot Mirror
How Would You Argue for Open Source?
Nate asks: "I am currently working for an international corporation, and the site I am working at was (until very recently) entirely run on Windows. We recently purchased a Solaris server, and I am in charge of setting it up and resetting the global UNIX standard. The problem is that management doesn't want to install software that does not have 24 hour, worldwide support available along with it, yet they want the capabilities that only open source software can provide on a UNIX platform (VNC, OpenSSH, etc..) without spending insane amounts of money. I was wondering how the Slashdot community deals with convincing management that Open Source software is safe to use when creating a global standard, and what your solutions have been to supporting users working with open source software." Two years ago, Slashdot tackled the Enterprise Support question. Now, say you had that particular problem solved and the only thing left is that all-important pitch to Upper Management. What arguments would you use in your attempts to get their approval? What statistics and references would you point to, in order to back everything up?
An Evans Data survey published in November 2001 found that 48.1% of international developers and 39.6% of North Americans plan to target most of their applications to GNU/Linux. In October 2002, they found that 59% of developers expect to write Linux applications in the next year.
Waiting for Linux apps...tapping foot....still waiting....
..called Unix Haters, it has all the benefits spelled right out. Lets give him some more Slashdot "bru ha ha" http://research.microsoft.com/~daniel/unix-haters. html
In all seriousness the best way is to just use open source where ever you can and not let the boss know. When your division is making money due to lower expenses you get the bonus!
Then you shouldn't even be thinking about open source.
/. users spit out.
... what do you do then? Go down the list to every available developer hoping to wake them up from their slumber because you need help? .. first off you get fired.. and if yer firm is big enough... you get blacklisted from working in the industry...
... usually the ones that happen to be software development companies) you just be damn well sure you have someone to blame when systems roll over because nobody will listen to "well that open source developer guy said he was going to help us" which of course is going to have yer manager remember "Who was it that offered open source again?"
Because you aren't familiar enough with the concept to even propose such to a production environment. Which says that you're expertise is definitely not in the open source world which doesn't put you in a position to make that decision.
now I'm not saying all managers are smart but I'm saying you dont want to be the fall guy when shit doesn't work. If you do suggest something like this you better be damn well positive on ALL the facts and not just some things that
As with paying the developer for the support... That's the dumbest thing I've heard in years. What doy ou do when yer system rolls over at 3am in the morning the the guy is too busy looking at his internet pr0n?.. What's this ther'es another developer to call.. so you call him up and he's prolly too busy getting into a flame war about windows/nix to care
well if it's an importnat system
So if you really think open source is the way to go (and it is for some firms