[TriLUG] Open Source vs Closed Source

Jeremy Davis jeremyhwllc at gmail.com
Thu Mar 7 17:06:52 EST 2013


One reason I see people sticking with MS, there is someone to call to
provide support (if you have the will to persist, a phone number is hidden
somewhere deep within in the MS website if you look hard enough. Although
it is much easier to just go buy a new computer).

Are there services that exist to support average users that are willing to
try a Linux OS? A "Geek Squad" so to speak for FOSS? I am sure something
like this has been tried before. I just have not heard of it. Granted, I
find it easier to solve issues for Linux because everything is in the open
and there is an all knowing community that comes along with it. Convincing
a leary MS user that everything will be ok, is a different story.

Just wondering if FOSS support for consumers might be a viable small
business opportunity, which would basically consist of installing Linux on
desktops and laptops, then providing support.

Jeremy
On Mar 7, 2013 4:28 PM, "John Vaughters" <jvaughters04 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> >IBM's AIX is alive and well, being sold and maintained by IBM to
> >corporate customers for their data centers world wide.
>
> AIX is far from alive and well it was shelved years ago. It is only
> maintained for legacy purposes. IBM has been pushing their customers off it
> for over a decade. Yes it exists, it is sold, but it is dying a slow death
> and not developed other than bug fixes.
>
> My point was and is that the Open Source *nix and those that adopted it as
> their base absolutely have oblitierated Microsoft if you count those OS's
> as a single category in number of installed devices. I do not beleive it
> would have happend without the Open Source Revolution, which is the source
> of common standard computing.
>
> That is all am trying to say. I realize the different OS's are different
> and for good reasons, but they still allow me easily move from one to the
> other with only slight differences. Syslog is Syslog, X is X, etc.
>
> Now try to take a MS guy and see how quickly he can move to customized
> embedded Linux.
> --
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