On 05/30/2011 03:46 PM, Tanstaafl wrote:
On 2011-05-30 2:53 PM, Roland Hughes wrote:
On Mon, 2011-05-30 at 14:34 -0400, Tanstaafl wrote:
On 2011-05-29 3:58 AM, Alexander Thurgood wrote:
An example : can anyone point me to a webpage from the Foundation or the
LibreOffice.org site where it clearly states that LibreOffice is not
intended for business use or that if you are a business you should buy
support ?
No, because there isn't one, because there is no requirement or even
strong recommendation.
But of course there is certainly nothing wrong with buying a support
contract if you want one.
It's a common cultural problem in the OpenSource community. Everyone
thinks "they" deserve all software for free, but if you have a company
or business email address "you" should spend all of your money so that
they can continue to have free software. It doesn't matter what
OpenSource operating system or application/software package you are
using, this irrational response persists. I imagine it is even more
persistent in the LO world since they just cut free of "Sugar Daddy">
and now need a revenue source.
I've never seen or noticed such an attitude - certainly not anything
nearly as pervasive or prevalent as you seem to by suggesting.
Well, that attitude has been seen before by some people I know. "I get
mine free, while you have to pay for yours" , is the mindset I see
myself from time to time.
Open Source does cost. It costs people's time and effort, even if they
provide it for free. Then there is the costs of the support system. I
am not talking about paid consultants. I am talking about Domain names,
hosting systems or accounts, servers and other physical needs to keep
the TDF/LO web sites up and running. Then there is the fees to display
at events and conventions. Then there is the marketing banners,
brochures, pamphlets, handouts, etc., etc., that is part of the
materials that are used for marketing at such an event.
Then there is the people who wants to produce DVDs to get to people who
cannot download the package software, due to bandwidth issues or other
constrants to their Internet usage. These people who make these DVDs
have money tied up with DVD cases, Printable DVD media, Printing the DVD
case covers and the inserted pamphlets, and how about buying a printer
that can print on the printable DVD media. All these things cost money.
For TDF/LibreOffice, they wish to raise the need funds to provide for
the money being spent for the physical costs of the services required
for their web hosting needs, plus any marketing costs spent or will be
spent marketing the product. Then there is the local people who make
the DVDs. They need to help cover their costs in making the DVDs and
the shipping costs to send it out to those who will need their DVD
printing/shipping services.
Sure, there are people who volunteer their time and efforts
programing/developing, marketing, and may other task involved with the
creation and distribution of an Open Source software package. But there
are things that cost money as well. There are businesses that have
volunteered their people and money to help the cause of Open Source.
But nothing is truly free. Somewhere it costs someone money. Time is
money too.
If you want free software, you are "paying for it" by your time and
efforts finding it, downloading it, maybe promoting it to your friends
and family, supporting it in the email lists, or even donating some cash
to it via its fundraising efforts.
FOR ME
I am a part of the North American Community DVD Project. I have donated
space on my hosting account and "bought" a domain for its testing portal
" http://libreoffice-na.us/ ". I have bought DVD cases, printable
media, and a printer to print onto those printable media. I will be
handing out many of these DVDs to local people, organizations,
businesses, and government agencies - ALL out of my own fixed income
"pocket". I am providing these things because I want to support TDF/LO
in whatever ways I am able to. I no longer can help program/develop the
software, since 3 strokes have wiped much of my skills.
Next, hopefully, the NA group will be working on shipping DVD out to
people who cannot download the software themselves. I know of many
people who cannot do this. Not even half of all households in the USA
has broadband. Many cannot afford it, while others have no access to
it, even if they have the money. So we hope to be able to get a system
worked out where people can order the DVD online [some way] for the
costs of the media and the shipping, etc., and maybe a little profit
that could go into a regional marketing fund and some to go into the
International marketing fund.
SO
there are people out there who feel that they will keep getting their
open source software free, while others keep paying for it, for them to
have it free. Those people may thing they get free since they are not
paying for it in cash. But, in the long term, everyone pays for open
source in some way. That is one principle I remember from my economic
courses. Just because their is the word "FREE" on the price tag, you
are still paying for it by other methods, methods that you may not be
aware of unless you are given all the facts and chain of events that
came about in the production and development of that product.
Tim L.
Elmira, New York, USA, World
I volunteer my time and my computers for many causes, where LibreOffice
is just one of them.
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