Avi Alkalay <avi(a)unix.sh>:
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.
--
<a
href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>