--- Chris Richardson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Greg, the cost of ownership of commercial verses Open Source is a > poor > comparision.
Maybe. It could also be true that the cost of ownership for open source is lower. That's nothing to complain about! But this analogy is certainly interesting: > But here is a comparision of Open Source as compared to > commercial solutions as it might be compared to buying or renting a > home. > > 1) Commercial Offerrings are like renting at higher than mortgage > rates. > When you stop paying rent, they take the lodging away from you and > all you > have are rent receipts to show for it. Good point. Substitute "lease" for "license" and that's about it. But my point wasn't to debate the merits of open source -- really. Rather it was a methodological question: How do you establish the total cost of ownership for an open source product? Better yet, what can be done to reduce cost ownership? Some thoughts: + utilize open standards + release stable versions on a periodic basis + don't force people to perform unnecessary maintenance tasks + documnt carefully, and make that documentation available with the product + if possible, provide training opportunities + make it easy for knowledgeable users and developers to become involved in the development process + remember the "principle of least surprise" === Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Metaphors be with you. _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
