-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Roberto C. Sanchez wrote:
> It turns out that the response in cases like that is one of two things: > > 1. we'll pay up and get the licenses current > 2. we can do without it > > Though, my understanding is that at state and local levels > (universities, community colleges, etc) the idea of using free software > alternatives is much more accepted. Where I did my undergrad, GSView > was on every windows machine on campus, just to point out one instance. At university in my city they (the IT department guys) do not mind using free software, and even use free operating systems on servers. However there is a difference between being a free software enthusiast, and an engineer working on an insanely large network, trying to keep things working. At universities software comes at a fraction of all the other IT expenses: computer hardware, routers, cables, printer toners, repairs, etc. And do not forget all sorts of academic discounts from MS. So there is almost no difference price-wise. As I have already mentioned, we do have free software. But mostly due to lecturers requesting legal software for their students to work with at home. Some examples: Eclipse and Free Pascal for programming classes; GNU R for statistics; GCC for programming AVR microcontrollers; OpenOffice.org in conference rooms, just in case somebody might need it. Also administrators of local departments are more or less free to install additional software they like, as long as it legal. Some choose free software, while others install crap like WinZip and reinstall the OS when it expires. Noticed something missing? Yes, no free operating systems on desktops. The main reason for this is that MS is the way it always was, it is a tradition, they use it at home, they know how it works. And by "they" I mean everybody, not just the IT guys. That does not sound like a good argument? Well think about it: would you really be that happy if somebody told you that you must drop Debian for some other system you know little or nothing about, AND you still have to make sure everything works, AND do your regular job at the same time. I certainly would not... As for the "somebody to yell at" argument, well... that sounds like a myth to me. Never heard of anyone contacting a software vendor when things break. I could be wrong on this one, though. Yes, I do work there. And this seems to be going a little off-topic... -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFFz5QeztOe9mov/y4RArqZAJ0YXN8Kzjv6eKICfujd5pUBUhCqIgCeL3E4 xJ6X7cBg5ZDuX11BuaHAOXk= =+hRs -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
