Enterprise open source Toolkit

Story: The problems with open source

• 
• 

I just installed Kubuntu recently, my first Linux experience, after moaning and bitching about Win stability for years.
A month later and I am using it as a dual boot with my Win machine. Apart from a few proprietary software that I need, I noticed that our house's use could all be taken care off with the software included for the usual browser, mp3, dvd, email, chatting, digital pictures and letter writing.
And now my father is using it as well as 3 of his friends nearing 80, all people with 5 years or less of computer use. One of the machines is a P2-350 and another is a P3-800.
All can now do what they could on their old machine except I dont have to worry about their virus and spyware problems. While I know that there is some training needed for software changes, the majority of programs all resemble each other. If youve used IE, Firefox is the same. Word or OO? Cmon, once we lept passed the Wordpad in Windows, all differences were minute.

After having to prove their software innocence after being accused of piracy, this community organization on our street will be switching to Linux, when they realized that they DIDNT have to pay licenses or upgrade to keep up with the upgrades, and their experiences show that many social services organizations are doing the same.

While I dont doubt that there are some valid drawbacks mainly in the support area, the proof is in the pudding. Put both FOSS with equivalent proprietary versions to the test and people (who have no bias) wont care. Heck, they have to relearn an OS every 3-4 years anyways

Lyle Howard Seave

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Full Talkback thread