Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 20:22:55 +0100 From: Anthony Atkielski <atkielski.anthony@wanadoo.fr> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: favor Message-ID: <858264590.20050207202255@wanadoo.fr> In-Reply-To: <20050207171702.GP21722@thingy.apana.org.au> References: <200502061420.24415.krinklyfig@spymac.com> <LOBBIFDAGNMAMLGJJCKNOEEKFAAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com> <849739867.20050207170757@wanadoo.fr> <20050207161015.GH21722@thingy.apana.org.au> <399973539.20050207171622@wanadoo.fr> <20050207163645.GK21722@thingy.apana.org.au> <351293826.20050207175318@wanadoo.fr> <20050207171702.GP21722@thingy.apana.org.au>
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David Gerard writes: DG> Actually, I most profitably apply it in my day job, which is administering DG> Solaris ;-) The purpose of vendors is to say to your boss that you have an DG> SLA; getting actual *support* out of anyone (with exceptions like NetApp) DG> is something best avoided IME. Sometimes you need support quickly, more quickly than you can manage on your own ... especially for mission-critical servers. That's when a complete formal support structure becomes invaluable. And that's what is missing from most open-source software, including FreeBSD. DG> Corporate arse-covering rather than actual support, but yeah. I am DG> told the horrible tale of a friend who is having to shift a pile of DG> servers from FreeBSD to Red Hat because Red Hat have SLAs and they DG> couldn't find sufficiently corporate-looking support for FreeBSD DG> that did. Exactly. You can run FreeBSD in these environments IF you have highly qualified in-house personnel to maintain it. It doesn't matter how reliable FreeBSD is, you need _someone_ who can fix it in an emergency. And if no such person is available with a phone call outside your organization, you need the expertise in-house. And if you don't have it in-house, you can't use FreeBSD. Linux is only marginally better. You need an external support organization with extremely competent technicians that has agreed to provide you with some specific level of support, such that they risk a lawsuit if they don't cough up when you call. Then you get support. DG> The trick will be to get organisations offering SLAs interested in the DG> program. Even then the fact that it's hard to undercut $0 is a powerful DG> factor in its spread. Getting those organizations interested in open source will effectively negate most of the advantages of open source. You'll be paying someone for your software again, and you'll be dependent on them again, and you'll be using their proprietary solutions ... again. DG> Realistically: a FreeBSD mailing list copyright apocalypse is not DG> likely. True. But it only takes one lawsuit to wipe out the entire project. -- Anthony
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