I got the feeling that this (MHS) is the kind of breakthrough project
Warren has been, though probably only subconsciously, looking for, for a
long while. If we can help him prove that a Linux system can replace a
$40,000 commercial system--and indeed do a much better job (which
doesn't seem to be very difficult based on what Warren described)--this
will go a long way.
This project is particularly significant, because it has a definitive,
and not insubstantial, dollar figure against which a comparison can be
made. In other words, unlike those demos where we were pretty talking
to the air, in this case, we have a clear and well-focused target to
demonstrate the many virtues of Linux that we have been "trying" to
preach to the island public.
On the well-focused target, I hate to mention the Michael Dell story
again. But when he started, he targeted us, Exxon, the largest company
in the world, as his only potential customer. At that time, no
corporations would buy a PC not made by IBM. When Dell was able to
claim that Exxon bought his computer, though only one system which was
actually for personal use, that allowed him to break into the corporate
and government worlds.
