Re: And more on open source...

[Paul DuBois <paul -at- kitebird -dot- com>]

On Mon, Feb 24, 2003 at 01:22:05AM -0800, Andrew Plato wrote:
> If larger organizations are going to adopt OS technologies, there needs to be
> something that bridges the gap between the "individualism" of OS and the "mass
> market" thinking of corporations. 
> 
> Documentation, training, and standardization are the kinds of things that can
> do that. That is an opportunity itself. Something for everybody to consider. 
> 
> Andrew Plato 

I don't share Andrew's generally negative and pessimistic view of Open
Source (though I suspect Andrew would characterize his view as "realistic"
rather than as I have).  However, I do agree with his comment about
opportunities in his final paragraph.  One thing that can help bridge
the gap is the availability of high-quality documentation.  And companies
don't mind paying for this -- think commercial publishing if you're looking
for opportunity.

In a sort of weird way, it's almost better for documentation *not* to be
free. It seems companies are suspicious of stuff they don't pay for,
whether that be the software itself, or any of the various types of
supporting materials such as documentation.

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