I'll see your $0.02 and raise you a buck. Here's an article I wrote
that will be published in August. I have been criticized on the XML
discussion, but it's close enough for suits. My thrust here is not to
replace Windows, but to replace the Office software to illustrate our
independence from Microsoft. The OS is next . . .
George
Issue: July 2002
Author: George Toft
Column Name: Partially Penguin
Title: The True Value of StarOffice
Subtitle:
Article Description: This article illustrates the hidden value of
StarOffice.
Article:
Sun Microsystems has finally released the new version of StarOffice.
Without reviewing its whizbang features, StarOffice offers a surprising
value for businesses. This month, we will explore these hidden values
that will save you hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars per desktop
computer.
To fully appreciate StarOffice's value, you must understand that there
are two forces at work here: 1) Annual cost per PC; and 2) Access to
your data. The remainder of this article will cover both of these will
be covered in detail.
Annual Cost Per PC
StarOffice is release under what Microsoft has traditionally called the
"perpetual license." You pay some fixed amount of money to the vendor,
and in exchange, receive the right to use the software forever -
perpetually. In this case, that cost is $75.95, and if you happen to
buy 150 license, that cost drops to $50 per copy[1].
Now I bet you are wondering why I mentioned Microsoft in the above
paragraph. Microsoft has decided to change their licensing model from
the perpetual license to one that must be renewed every three
years[2][3], and it is licensed per PC. This means if you liquidate a
PC and acquire a new PC, you must buy a new license. The big "Gotcha"
with the new licensing program
Let us illustrate what happens in a small enterprise consisting of 250
desktop computers. Buying 200 StarOffice licenses at $50 each results
in a one-time expenditure of $12,500. With Microsoft Office, your
initial outlay is $106,248 (250 times MSRP $479.99[4] minus 15%
Microsoft "deep discount"[2]). StarOffice just saved us 88%, and the
savings are just beginning. Under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement,
the Office license must be paid every three years (amortized in annual
payments over three years), with no mention of a discount. So the next
three years Office license will cost $124,998. Maximizing the life of
the PC by using it for six years, StarOffice costs just $8.33 per year
per copy. Microsoft Office costs $148.00 per year per PC - remember, if
you buy a new PC, you must buy a new Microsoft Office license.
In a recent survey[5], 36% of the respondents said they could not afford
the new Microsoft Licensing. 38% said they were looking to switch to
Linux and StarOffice. If that's not enough reason to convert to
StarOffice, wait until you read the next section.
Access To Your Data
You may have heard of The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act
(UCITA)[6] - the law that is attempting to sweep the nation that would
make it illegal to reverse-engineer file formats, and it gives software
vendors the right to disable your software remotely[7]. (To fully
appreciate the impacts of this law, see "The UCITA Car"[8].) This is
already law in Virginia and Maryland. The opponents of this law predict
sole-source vendors will use this new power to hold their customer's
data hostage, forcing the customers to pay licensing fees on an annual
basis for the privilege of accessing their own data.
StarOffice 6 circumvents this issue by using XML (an Open Standard) as
the data storage format. Since browsers understand XML, you can view
any StarOffice document using just a web browser (notice how the web
sites in Reference 7 are not HTML - they are XML). This assures you
that you will have the uninterrupted access to your data that you will
need. Since the data storage format is en established standard, any
company can use that format to build competing products, thereby
stimulating innovation and competition. With competition, you no longer
have to worry about relying upon a sole-source vendor who may have a
documented history of abusive business practices.
Computer security is the real issue at stake here. The three most
important principles in computer security are: Confidentiality,
Integrity and Accessibility (CIA). If you are using Windows XP
Professional, you have already given Microsoft the right to inspect your
computer, check software version number, and make changes to the
components of the operating system (read your EULA, Section 7). This
violates Confidentiality as now there is someone else inside your
computer.
Microsoft has a long history of changing their file formats with each
subsequent release of any product. Sometimes, these file formats are
incompatible, which risks the Integrity of your data. Since UCITA gives
vendors the right to remotely disable software[6] (at the discretion of
the vendor, mind you), this poses an immutable risk to data
Accessibility.
Again, by adopting an established and open standard, Sun Microsystems
enhances your computer security posture by maintaining the
Confidentiality, Integrity and Accessibility of your data.
Summary
In conclusion, StarOffice is a good financial value regardless of which
Microsoft Licensing Plan you choose. It becomes a much better value in
light of the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. Using StarOffice also
provides you with the three crucial elements of data security. These
features make StarOffice a "must use" in any business setting.
Note: Every article I have written for Hawaiian HardDrive for the last
three years was written in StarOffice, saved in Microsoft Word format
and sent to my editor. This demonstrated StarOffice's interoperability
with Microsoft products, which will hep you in your migration plans.
Resources
1. Sun Microsystems.
http://wwws.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/6.0/get/index.html
2. Microsoft Corporation.
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/ent/default.asp
3. ZDNet.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-808062.html
4. CompUSA.
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=283745
5. The Register/ComputerWire.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/24845.html
6. CNN.com.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/05/08/reverse.engineering.idg/
7. InfoWorld.
http://www.infoworld.com/ucita/index.html,
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/00/08/21/000821opfoster.xml,
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/01/11/12/011112opfoster.xml,
8. The UCITA Car.
http://www.troubleshooters.com/ucita/ucitacar.htm
"John (EBo) David" wrote:
>
> Curtis Zinzilieta wrote:
> >
> > A far worse result would be to turn out in numbers, largely unorganized,
> > and appear before them speaking like religious zealots.
> >
> > Numbers are important, yes, but more important will be the ability to
> > calmly and rationally present our points and viable alternatives.
> > Alternatives that can actually be implemented in a reasonable timeframe
> > and can be expected to work. I believe it's impossible to expect the
> > county to turn over every desktop and server in a very few days, for
> > instance, regardless of standing laws or statutes.
> >
> > Again, clear and concise points, well presented, with backup, are what
> > will be needed here. Speaking off the cuff, without prior thought or
> > consideration, is not likely to make many points.
>
> I'm cramming to get my thesis out and have only been skimming the
> posts...
>
> On thing that I have not seen discussed so far is suggestions on how to
> ween the Gov. off of M$.
>
> Example: can Kword, Kspread, Kpresenter, etc. be compiled using Qt, etc.
> and run on Win*? Is there another opensource *word editor which works
> on multiple platforms? How bout databases?
>
> If I was their IT guy I would want to see the following at least
> described if not in person:
>
> 1) A list of software with capability lists that are common to
> orginizations like theirs.
>
> 2) a compatibility chart for what they currently use to what roughly
> replaces it.
>
> 3) a list of those packages which will not only run on *NIX, but also
> Win* so that I could lod it up on the uses machines and start getting
> people to use it, etc.
>
> 4) and possibly last, and this would likely be the clincher, chart the
> costs (seat purchase, maintance, etc.) of the two. Best of all would be
> a first pass on estimating the migration costs also.
>
> well... back to working on my thesis... that's my 2 c
>
> EBo --
> ________________________________________________
> See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail.
>
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
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