Well, get your flame throwers out, this will not be pleasant: : held up for me until next year. The point is, many firms operate under the : same kind of thought process - yes, I could spend $5 today to possibly save : me $100 next year, but I need the $5 now more than the 100 later.
Precisely. The thinking that is doing in the big two of Detroit automakers this instance, and has done in many others already. Short term goals. Who cares about tomorrow. The Japanese do, and perhaps most of the rest of the world. And look where some so-called Third World countries stand right now. Even Mercedes-Benz, Daimler, never had as many recalls (and a big drop in reputation) since it swallowed Chrysler and went to a great deal "The American Way". Fortunately, they didn't go all the way, so Chrysler looks much better than the other two. : Another problem with your thinking is that you assume there will be an : upgrade for OpenOffice.org. Seriously, who is to say there will be? The programmers. With their blood of their hearts. : Businesses understand businesses. And even with all the backstabbing that : goes on, businesses trust businesses. Because businesses understand what : drives other businesses - and that is Money. OOo isn't driven by money, so : how can a business trust it when it doesn't understand its motivation? And a lot of non-business all over the world is starting to understand business. Therefore, less and less are trusting it. Especially once your job has gone to ........ (put in any country you like). Much will be learnt in distrust from the present Enron trial, and the many, many (.... put in your own many digit figure) other companies, from Worldcom through GM through GE right down to the Used Car Dealer near you. Trust business? Not me. But I would trust a programmer who does it because he wants to do it, loves it, for no gain, but for the pleasure of it. : So there is a "big picture" long-term thinking at work here - just not the : kind you are thinking of. Yes. There is a sucker born every minute. Our forefathers knew this already. : Another problem is a lack of support. What 800 number do you call at 2 am : on Saturday night to get tech support for your 500 seats of OpenOffice.org? Has been answered amply elsewhere. And with so many businesses and governments in Europe and Asia switching to Linux and most likely subsequently to OO, there will be no shortage of help at all. As other messages have already mentioned, there is no shortage right here. Except finding it might cost an ignorant CEO or whoever valuable short term money to look up a number... : I know the one to call if it's a problem with MSO. Granted it will cost me : $35 a hour (or more) to call them - but it's there. : It's not as simple as it looks. It is as simple as it looks. I'm retired, and you just gave me an excellent idea. Perhaps I open a casual business giving support. I would only charge 30 dollars. And the answers I don't know I could easily look up on the Internet. It is all there, and, as I mentioned, I am retired and have all the time in the world. What is even better: even the Microsoft answers are on the Internet, and as I have been told, all of them... Have a good day. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
