From esr at thyrsus.com Fri Mar 31 14:57:43 2006 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="===============2250554747731895465==" MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Eric S. Raymond To: devel at lists.fedoraproject.org Subject: Re: 'Commercial Partners' Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 14:57:30 -0500 Message-ID: <20060331195730.GC25535@thyrsus.com> In-Reply-To: ed0efd310603311132o2592c4dfx5001854c560f2d36@mail.gmail.com --===============2250554747731895465== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Avi Alkalay : > To help Eric fine tune his accuracy, I have to say that I work in a > global well known IT company, on Linux solutions sales. We fight > everyday for Linux not to die in the commercial world, because of this > annoying "missing packages". On the commercial desktop space this is > specially annoying. > = > This is so ridiculous that you still can find Linux sales people > making Linux presentations on Linux events using MS PowerPoint. Just > because to use Linux isn't that straight forward as Andy may think. > = > I believe that too much religion in our OSS world doesn't help much. > Exactly as real religions, it makes its followers a bit blind to see > whats really happening out there. > = > So I think Eric is pretty accurate in its statement. If this list weren't 99% populated by techies, you'd see hundreds of mails like this. = One of the things I make a special point of doing is keeping in touch with people who are in the trenches every day doing Linux conversions for SOHO customers. And kids, it's a whole 'nother world out there. Your average Linux developer is just *astonishingly* naive about what actual customers' priorities are and what drives technology adoption. I wish I had the luxury of such naivete. I wish we could fort up in our technical-specialist back-room niche, worship at the shrine of 100% undiluted free software, and not worry about what very powerful enemies will do if we don't outgrow their capacity to smother us. Alas, reality is not that kind. -- = Eric S. Raymond --===============2250554747731895465==--