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Los Angeles to Consider Open Source Software
lientz writes "According to an article at FederalComputerWeek, the city of Los Angeles is considering using Open Source software as a cost cutting measure. From the article: "...city officials could save $5.2 million by switching to OpenOffice... rather than purchasing a Microsoft Office product at $200 per license for 26,000 desktops. The savings would go to a special fund to hire more employees for the police department, a major focus for city officials right now, he added.""
You must be a liar because with so many eyes on it, OSS HAS NO BUGS. And we all believe that Firefox has been patched, right? Oh, you mean it is only patched in the "nightly" builds? Is that like Microsoft saying that they have a patch in beta? So it will take 6 months for the patches to actually download to Firefox users? Hmm. People bash MS for the same thing... Guess OSS is the same as proprietary.
The following is a satirical account dealing with the use of having an open office specialist on staff to help install upgrades.
Bob (City Official): We've already saved millions with Open Office. Let's upgrade it from 1.1.2 to 1.1.3.
BillPro: You will need me to help you
Bob: Don't we just install it?
BillPro: No, it requires taking care of so many more subtle details than that. What it needs is a professional to implement.
Bob: OK, we will hire you for $60,000 to support our OO upgrades.
BillPro: That is fair.
Bob: Umm, this doc I had with a beautiful table... what happened to it? It isn't beautiful anymore!
BillPro: This was probably caused by the upgrade from 1.1.2 to 1.1.3.
Bob: Didn't I pay you to make sure things like this don't happen?
BillPro: I am investigating a solution by looking over the source code. That is the power of open source: I can find out what's wrong and fix it for the council.
Bob: Fantastic! We should give you a raise.
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From: BillPro
To:
Subject: Hey guys
Hey guys, anyone know why tables don't show up right in 1.1.3? They worked OK in 1.1.2.
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From: AngryMan
To:
Subject: re: Hey guys
Fix it yourself. You can see the source. If you want a faster fix, donate some money.
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Bob: Have you been able to fix it yet?
BillPro: I have been working on it and the good news is that it will be fixed soon, but the bad news is that you will have to wait for the patch I "created" to be put in the next OO upgrade. Until then you'll need to sit tight until the fix is released.
Bob: Why did I hire you for this? I could have sat tight without you.
BillPro: Think of me as a comfort blanket when stuff doesn't work.