On Sun, Aug 12, 2001 at 10:26:21PM -0500, Elaine -HFB- Ashton wrote:
> It is very true that companies and IT departments pressed to choose
> between something with an 'enterprise support solution' and an 18 year old
> hacker who hangs out on IRC have a rather clear choice.
IT support exists on a continuum stretching from the immature
teenage hacker to Fortune 500 support organizations. Characterizing
support as existing on these two endpoints is like saying "you can have
a dog; choose between a chiuaua and a doberman".
The lack of an "enterprise support solution" inhibits adoption of
Perl (or anything else) only in those organizations that demand
such support, or demand more than Perl Clinic, etc. can provide.
Every organization I've worked for in the last 10 years has built
up an internal base of expertise in the technologies they use to
solve the problems of their business. Most problems are solved
internally before reaching to the phone, and the phone is used
*very* rarely, if ever. Occasionally, consultants are hired for
the really tough problems.
>From what I've seen, many businesses are quite happy to live in
that middle ground of product support between the immature hacker
and the "enterprise support solution". Mailing lists, newsgroups,
websites, and even (gasp!) books and manuals are perfectly adequate
for solving problems for many organizations. Those organizations
also have very different needs than those who demand immediate
vendor response.
The middle ground won't solve everyone's problems. Than again, no
single "support solution" will ever do that.
Z.
