It would be interesting to know the statistics of how many major corps., web
sites, ISPs etc... that run sendmail, apache, samba, and all other open
source software, run them on big bucks *NIX systems (solaris, dec unix
etc...). Not really free in the true sense. Of course it still has the
benefit of available source, and everything else that comes along with Open
Source.

Sorry, I have been on this list on and off for maybe two years, and I think
this is the second time I have posted anything. 


Ken Caruso
Information Technology
Flight Safety Boeing Training International
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


-----Original Message-----
From: jim t.p. ryan [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 5:03 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: maddog speaks


I agree with you all when it comes to sendmail and apache.  And don't get me
wrong, I see great value in going the open source way.  All I'm saying is
that in 20+ years of working in companies I can't comprehend suggesting that
they change their internal desktops over to sendmail and star office, or
whatever.  Apache is a server area so I don't think it counts here.  

But say they could have office on Linux, they at least the OS is "in the
door".  From there it would be an easier road to acceptance.  Sometimes you
might have to join 'em a bit to win.

Sincerely,
Jim Ryan





-----Original Message-----
From:    Tom Rauschenbach [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent:    Tue, 27 Jun 2000 13:17:11 -0400
To:      [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CC:      [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: maddog speaks


On Tue, 27 Jun 2000, Paul Lussier wrote:
> In a message dated: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 14:55:11 PDT
> "jim t.p. ryan" said:
> 
> >I've never really understood the free software thing anyway.  Sooner or
later 
> >somebody has to pay don't they?  That was a real question, not
rhetorical. I m
> >ean is any really big, established business going to run on free
software?  I 
> >don't think so, it's unamerican;+}  Really, the mindset is "you get what
you p
> >ay for", right or wrong, that is the culture.  If it doesn't sell, mark
it up 
> >and people will assume it's better.
> 
> More than 90% of all e-mail is sent to external-to-origin sites via
sendmail 
> which is completely free, and which, up until 1998 had absolutely no
official
> commercial support.  Companies running sendmail, almost never pay for
sendmail 
> support, and pay for the software even less.  If you don't count e-mail as

> mission-critical in today's day and age, then I don't know what is.
> 
> Additionally, more than 60% of all websites are running on Apache, which
falls 
> into the same category as sendmail.
> 
> Now, if you are asking if they will run *entirely* free software?  Then
I'd 
> have to say no, since there are many applications needed which just don't
have 
> free equivalents.
> 
> But also, keep in mind, the word "free" as it relates to software doesn't 
> *have* to mean just that you don't give someone money in exchange for the 
> ability to run their software.  The most important aspect of "free"
software 
> is the access to source code, the ability to change said code, and the
ability 
> to redistribute that changed code.  With that in mind, I don't know why
any 
> company would want to run their business on anything *but* free software.


This last paragraph gets right to the point of why there is a debate about
calling it "free" versus calling it "Open Source" (which might be
(ironically)tradmarked).  

On a related note, I just noticed something that I consider a bug in my mail
client.  My first thought was not "Damn, I'm gonna have to live with that ?"
but "Damn, I'm gonna have to read the source code."  Note that the second
option is completly unacceptable to most people, because they can't read the
source.  The first option, unacceptable to me, is the ONLY option for closed
source personal software.  Granted if you pay $100,000 for a commercial (I
mean
for commercial use, not commercial resale) you might have another option.
But
if you pay $100 or less, you basically get what you got.




> -- 
> Seeya,
> Paul
> ----
>       "I always explain our company via interpretive dance.
>            I meet lots of interesting people that way."
>                                         Niall Kavanagh, 10 April, 2000
> 
>        If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right!
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Standard is better than better.  If your web page cares what browser I'm
using
it's broken.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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