On Sat, Oct 04, 2003 at 10:54:46PM -0700, bruce wrote: > my $0.02 worth..and i don't normally follow this group/thread.... for > linux to compete/succeed against windows/msoft on the desktop... there > needs to be a rock solid office set of apps... for 20% of the price... > > then you would see msoft fall like a rock... if oracle put in a $1 > billion, and sun gave their star office app, and then a huge open > source app was create with the star office/funds as a start... within > 12-18 months you'd put a dent in msoft.... I honestly think the desktop is pretty much there right now. For ordinary office stuff a good distribution like Redhat and OO.o, mozilla, evolution, etc. are more than enough for most office workers. And they don't cost 20% of Windows + Office, they're free. It's old hat to us, but your average clueless user (and IT manager) either doesn't know you can get better software for nothing, or else believes it must be bad because it's free. I've run into this over and over. What I think will happen is more people will realize that paying $600 or more for an OS and office suite of dubious quality is ludicrous, especially when the net allows for much lower production and distribution costs. Microsoft et al are responding by trying to grab control of the PC hardware platform to prevent interoperability, etc., but I believe they will fail. Eventually even average users will understand that it's better for them to control what happens on their computers rather than some remote, Palladium-enabled corporate interest. If the open PC hardware platform manages to survive this serious threat, it's game over. Commodity software will rule the world and the huge commercial software houses will have to adapt or die. -- redhat-list mailing list unsubscribe mailto:redhat-list-request@xxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-list
