[ILUG] Interesting article

[PJ Wall]

Niall O Broin wrote:

> On 27 Apr 2005, at 22:53, PJ Wall wrote:
>
>> for Linux desktop.  For example, I was talking to a mid sized 
>> organisation yesterday who would love to migrate to Linux, but they 
>> cannot because a vital piece of software (used every day) is Windows 
>> only.
>
> Niall O Broin wrote:

> Surely if a mid sized organisation thinks that there are good reasons 
> to move to Linux, finding a replacement for this app. or indeed having 
> one written shouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle. Or maybe that's 
> just a handy excuse to use when you're on their case?
>
>
> Niall
>

Yep, I have no problems agreeing with you Niall, but I'm currently 
researching a thesis in this area at the moment, and that is exactly 
what a number of organisations are telling me. 

We all have to remember that some decision makers in organisations may 
not be aware of Open Source.  I agree with you that this is NOT an 
insurmountable obstacle as you say, but I also firmly believe that it IS 
a pretty big one.

The incentives to go OSS are greatly diminished if a "critical" app is 
not Windows compatible.  Getting a similar app written can be expensive 
and time consuming, and there are no guarantees that the same 
functionality will be delivered.  We all know about the "software 
crisis" right?

All I'm saying I suppose is that I think organisations with limited IT 
budgets (not to mention ROI considerations) are willing to put up with 
all the expense, poor reliability, and hassle that proprietary software 
brings, if the alternative is a switch to OSS that involves uncertanty 
and writing new software from scratch.