[ale] Linux in Atlanta's public schools

[Edward Holcroft]

"Not having a phone number to call is a 20th century excuse."

I am so going to use this one on management next time ...


On Sat, Jul 13, 2013 at 11:43 PM, Doug Hall <doughalldev at gmail.com> wrote:

> Practice this comment:
>
> Sure, there are companies which you could pay, that you could call upon
> for help when needed. However, from personal experience, answers to the
> most common problems are readily available from a Google/Bing/Whatever
> search. If you have a more complicated problem, then call me or send an
> email to the Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts list, asking for help. I personally
> would hold off paying a third party support company until I needed them.
>
> Many people are initially concerned about the lack of official support,
> but unless you have a complicated piece of customized software (like Oracle
> Financials), then your own IT people should be smart enough to make it
> work. Linux is not Windows, so many IT support people will have to learn
> something new. It's not that complicated, however. There's a HUGE community
> of people working with it. Not having a phone number to call is a 20th
> century excuse. Today, support is available in so many forms. Ask the guy
> how many times he called Microsoft last year!
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 1:11 AM, Jeff Hubbs <jhubbslist at att.net> wrote:
>
>> This is one of the infuriating things that helped me get out of the
>> business.  It's as though the people that were hired to run and manage
>> computer systems aren't viewed as valuable; that they are interchangeable
>> commodities.  There is a key difference with FOSS; it is meant to be
>> figured out and understood deeply.  The things you're working with aren't
>> *products*; they're tools that are meant to be picked up.  I wished people
>> would stop to consider why this wonderful, magic "support" was made to
>> exist on the other end of the phone in the first place, whereas the natural
>> place for it is right under your roof.  FOSS empowers its users, but
>> gaining that power requires work and dedication.
>>
>>
>> On 7/4/13 10:52 PM, Sergio Chaves wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> After the demos and everything else worked flawlessly, and all the cost
>>> savings were evaluated, the very first question I heard was " So, who do we
>>> call for support on open source software?". Before I could finish my
>>> sentence, once they heard the words "community", forums, IRC, etc., one of
>>> the main figures there told me how much my efforts were appreciated but if
>>> they could not pickup the phone and call for support, it was no good.
>>> Absolutely incredible!
>>>
>>
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>
>
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-- 
Edward Holcroft | Madsen Kneppers & Associates Inc.
3020 Holcomb Bridge Rd. NW | Norcross, GA 30071
O (770) 446-9606 | M (678) 587-8649

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