Open Source or Open Sores: The Pain is Often the Same
I'm a big, no, HUGE, no wait: GINORMOUS fan of competition. As such, I applaud the work the open source community has done and is doing to keep pressure on the so-called "vendors". The net result is constant improvements and reasonable prices (ok, sometimes). There are a few things that bother me about the open source "community" in general however. For starters, there really is no "community". It's simply a collective reference to all those people that write code for free and give it away, feeling good every step of the way. The other thing that bothers me is the split personality of simultaneously pursuing (a) desktop domination in the world of Windows replacement (translation: GUI), and (b) elitist insistence on keeping .conf files around to keep the riff-raff GUI heathens on the other side of the gates. The other thing that bothers me is the arrogant behavior to questions involving the need for device drivers and getting support for apps which are built on multiple open source products. The former being whenever you complain that your brand new printer doesn't work on ___ Linux, the response is usually one of the following:
- Write your own
- Compile your own
- Write your congressman to solicit the vendor to write it
I'm sorry, but agenda (a) above (that would be "desktop domination") will never, repeat NEVER happen if that is the best solution that can be offered. That only leaves agenda (B) which is attainable (it already is)
The last item, read "latter" with respect to above, is open source product support. I have seen firsthand, customers hitting a major problem with some open source product in their environment. Sometimes causing a complete work stoppage. They call the vendor that "sold" them this mash-up, repackaged bundling of FOSS goods, and get the usual rebuff: "Sorry, but that's not our fault, that's from FOSS product ____, so you'll need to either contact them or post a request for help in the community forums". Wrong. Not going to happen. Businesses want something with a known quantity behind it. It doesn't even matter if that known quantity has any real skills, it's still a "known quantity". Apple, Microsoft, HP, Dell, IBM, Cisco, EMC, Linksys, Logitech, etc. all have support services to stand behind their products. Some are free, many are not. Regardless, they call for help and get help. Not some goose chase pointing at other vendors. Can you imagine calling for printer help from HP and they tell you the ink cartridge is made by the open source "community" so to get a replacement you'd need to post a request in a forum and wait for someone to respond? Hell no!
Does this mean I hate Linux and the open source "movement" in general? NO. Not at all. I'm only saying that before you decide to go down the open source road in a BUSINESS environment, have both your eyes open and do your homework first! Make sure you know who can and will support what you plan to implement. What garantees or warrantees can they provide. What service can they provide. One of things I usually do is look for negative comments or articles about what I'm considering, just to read about what potential issues others are having or what concerns they have. Why re-discover pain when others may have published it already? This goes for retail commercial products as well. No difference. I run Linux and it works fine. Would I recommend Open-Exchange or OpenLDAP for a city government or large corporation? Maybe. It depends. Would I recommend Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory? Almost always. Again, do the research. You may be surprised at just how un-open some open source products really are.