On Thu, 2004-02-05 at 06:03, Chris Gehlker wrote:
> On Feb 4, 2004, at 10:12 PM, Craig White wrote:
> 
> > Some real facts remain...People don't understand the concept of FOSS.
> > Businesses are used to paying for software and cannot comprehend how
> > they can get something for free from one company and it costs real 
> > money
> > from another company. They think that someone is screwing the pooch.
> >
> > I read the following article in a magazine that is sent to 
> > me...Optimize
> > <http://www.optimizemag.com/issue/027/law.htm>
> >
> > I cannot believe the FUD that is so pervasive.
> >
> > Anyway, businesses need something that they can trust. If/when a better
> > software package comes around, businesses will figure it out. Red Hat
> > isn't doing anything that any other packager can't do too, probably
> > better and more affordable for the end user. It is after all, just one
> > of many, many choices in the marketplace.
> 
> You seem to be arguing both that businesses in general don't *get* FOSS 
> and that they do, or at least that they soon will. I think the evidence 
> that you present, the clearly idiotic article from optimizemag, bears 
> more directly on another point, the decline of journalism.
---
journalism declined a long time ago and that discussion would range far
from the topic at hand.

FOSS doesn't have a voice since it has no money. The only face that FOSS
has is the moneyed parties that use FOSS such as Dell, IBM, Red Hat. If
I have failed to make a point - it is a point that I've expressed at
least twice before, it's that Red Hat serves a purpose for businesses to
latch onto the FOSS product - it's a comfort zone. The business
mindset...I can feel satisfied because I paid for it, I can count on
somebody to be there to share my misery if things go wrong. 

Craig