[ale] open source wars at DOD

[Jerry Z. Yu]

#"Jerry Z. Yu" wrote:
#> 
#>         response to support calls depends on how much $$$ you pay for that
#> support, not depends on the code being closed-source or not.  Many
#> support vendors (could be different from the software/app vendors) charge premium for
#> speedier support (does this ring a bell: platium, gold, silver service
#> contract). If you pay for that dedicated customer support guy, you might
#> as well pay for a in-house software/systems engineer to master the code,
#> if that piece of code is so critical to your business...
#
#My point is that few, if any, open source projects are the bread&butter of the
#developers,#so there is not a toll-free phone number to call for support.  In some cases,
#there#isn't even a valid email address.

	as everything in a free market, if there's enough need for 
pay-based support, there'll be businesses venture into it, soon or later. 
(if you can post a list of such important apps that people needs pay-based 
support, people on ALE-seekingJob list may be whip up something). If one 
is willing to pay for the support, you can surely dig up those 
anonymous developers, few of which have too much money to refuse :-)

#>         If answers to your support request is delayed (or never) or
#> speedy but not to your satisfaction, you don't have a thing to go on with
#> closed-source vendor besides draging them to court. With open-source, you
#> can at least hire a 3rd-party consultant to look into the code for you, if
#> you don't want to pick up books like java-in-24-hours...
#
#Actually, you can get this with closed source, if you buy the source code.

	I am a cheap guy. If I can get it free legally, why'd I'd pay for 
it? Besides, with open-source, bugs that bug you may have bugged someone 
else before you, and chances are that guy already had a fix or get-around 
posted somewhere...a free chance to get free support. In case you're the 
first one bugged, you'd be in luck to have the opportunity to fix it and 
post the fix on the net for folks behind you...


Jerry Z. Yu					+1-404-487-8544 (O)
systems engineer				z.yu at voicecom.com
is support, voicecom, llc			www.voicecom.com


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