[wplug] COLLABORATION AS DISTRIBUTED CAPITALISM?

[Vanco, Donald]

David Ostroske wrote:
> On Mon, 2003-09-08 at 10:47, Vanco, Donald wrote:
>> 	What's really sad (from my perspective in my day-to-day job) is
>> trying to convince those in my company of this.  They have a real
>> hard time wrapping their heads around the concept that software
>> developed in an open and "free" environment can be really, really
>> great stuff. As stupid as it sounds, I'd have an easier time passing
>> some software solutions if they were _not_ zero cost.
> 
> Wow, sounds like some hard-headed cases you've got to deal with!
> 
> But maybe, what you said might be the best way to sell the stuff. Have
> you had someone in your company balk at adopting OSS after telling
> them that the software's free, even after you've sold them on how
> good it is? Even if they knew that there was a (non-profit)
> foundation backing it that they could trust/blame? 
	I think that attitude comes more from the idea that when you have to
pay someone for something you then have someone to blame when things go
wrong.  Or a more formal form of support.
	
>> 	I spend 50-60% of my time as a "marketing puke" (albeit technical
>> marketing) - but I market open source ISVs....
> 
> Whoops, didn't mean to step on your toes, there. The "market droids" I
> had in mind are the types that make pi-in-the-sky claims to their
> clients, then ask you to write something to match their crazy ideas.
> May I assume that the claims you make to the ISVs are fairly sound,
> technically? 
	That's another point - you cannot offend a marketing puke - they
know they're scum.

	Actually - I am the one that _finds_ "worthy" ISVs and presents them
to my company for consideration as a (Linux) business partner or solution
source - companies like Sistina, Scyld, The Portland Group, Dolphin,
TopSpin, Symbio, Mountain View Data, PolyServe, Bea, VMWare, Wirex, etc....

D