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Bringing OSS Into a Closed Source Organization?
Piranhaa writes "At the major corporation I work for, there is currently a single person who decides what software to approve and disapprove within the organization. I've noticed that requests from users for open source Windows programs get denied, nearly instantaneously, on a regular basis. Anything from Gimp, to Firefox, even to Vim don't make the cut due to the simple fact that they are open source. Closed source programs from unknown vendors have a much better chance at approval than Firefox does. The whole mentality here is that anybody can change the source of a project, submit it, and you never know what kind of compiled binary you're going to get. I'm a firm believer in open source code, but I also know closed source has its place. So what would be the best way for me to argue, with all the facts, to allow these people to come to their own conclusion that open source is actually good? Would presenting examples of other big companies moving to open source work, and if so what are some good examples? Or can you suggest any other good approaches?"
Either live with your idiot bosses and stop complaining, or ditch that miserable excuse for an employer.
I'm sorry for posting as an AC, but the /. login doesn't seem to be working (no matter what I type in to the captcha, it doesn't let me verify my password!).
This guy is God as far as software at this company goes. He can do what he wants and unless there's a major catastrophe, his supervisors will let him continue to do so. If what you say is accurate, then he's made up his mind and there is no reason to change it at all.
You ask for "the best way for [you] to argue..." That's it right there. As long as you argue, you lose. He doesn't want to argue, he wants to be right and that, by definition, is what he is for anything he says at this company. He doesn't want to hear from you, doesn't care, and in any argument, if he so much as listens, he is indulging you.
True, he's an idiot, but that doesn't matter. He has no reason to change so he won't.
If you want him to change, remember he's like electricity: He takes the path of least resistance. For him to change or even look into change, then that path has to be made easier than him not even bothering to look.
When you can make it easier for him to look at FOSS than it is to ignore it, he'll start looking, but not until then -- and likely not even then if he has a grudge against it and doesn't want to admit it.
Purchasing Windows doesn't give you an "assured" version either. The industry has learned that hard lesson over and over. You're much better off just licensing an open distribution like Red Hat, because you get the corporate support side as well as the community audit side.
The fact is that even if you don't have time to read the source, other people do, and a complete distribution has the unique level of multi-party quality assurance money can't buy.
Microsoft is probably the worst possible example anyway. They regularly put in their own malware. There's no audit required to know that WGA is pure and simple malware. It's absolutely moronic to name them as an example of an "assured" solution vendor.
Sam ty sig.
so either learn to live with the problem, or just run away from it? you must be a real winner.
most socially/emotionally healthy individuals have a powerful tool at there disposable called "interpersonal communication." by honing your communication skills, you can exchange thoughts and opinions with other people, perhaps even persuading them that FOSS is a viable alternative to proprietary software. but this is generally not a tactic used by people who spend their entire lives as a powerless passive observer.
assuming you know to speak up for yourself, there are a lot of ways to introduce FOSS to a close source organization.
I used to work for BNFL (now the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) and this was exactly their attitude. I tried very hard to explain things and not over-step my authority or sound like I was trying to undermine my superiors but the reply was always patronising, "We'd rather pay for a software license and have support when things go wrong." Note I'm not talking about nuclear safety-related software, merely office and programming tools.
After a few years, I got sick of the stifling environment and lack of direction and left for a better paid job.
I went to work for a big US computer company. Things were totally different there.
After another few years, the office close and I had to get a new job with a smallish British company. They were very open-source friendly although the Director of Software really admired Microsoft. There really was trouble there since as the skill base left due to fascist management, and the Director of Software tightened his grip, things went the other way. I quietly, discretely and politely offered to save the company £1000 that they were going to spend on some backup software for servers that essentially just did a dd of the root disk. I got a flame back telling me to keep my pathetic little minion mouth shut and I resigned like the 16 others before me. Two more resigned during my month's notice.
I'm much happier at my new place. It's a big company again with lots of rules and process, but their hearts are in the right place - the right tool for the job - and they appreciate ideas from their technical staff.
The moral of the story is be prepared to move on if the company doesn't suit you. It may take many months to find something new, but it's worth it. Work is a substantial part of your life. That time is too valuable to waste on something that makes you miserable.
Stick Men
The problem is that large companies are packed full of people with little or no problem solving skills...
They either don't want to, or are incapable of trying to solve problems themselves, and would rather pay extra for someone else to do it...
Yes, they're basically not doing their jobs, and yet these blatantly incompetent people end up being paid a lot of money.
On the other hand, those people who are smart enough to solve problems (and it really isn't that hard) can set up support consultancies and employ people to do what you're doing on behalf of other companies.
I've seen countless situations where relatively simple problems were unable to be solved internally, and the people who's responsibility it was to fix them just wanted to hand them off to a third party as quickly as possible, and simply didn't have the skill to diagnose what was wrong.
The issue took a few seconds to diagnose, and a few seconds to fix once someone with the right mindset started looking at it.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
Isn't this the reason you own guns: to defend yourselves from utter tossers in the workplace?
No, we own guns to prevent the government from having a monopoly on deadly force. Governments have different options available to them when the people are armed, than they do when the people are unarmed.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."