From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Feb 12 15:53:56 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2718916A4CE for ; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:53:56 +0000 (GMT) Received: from gromit.dlib.vt.edu (gromit.dlib.vt.edu [128.173.49.29]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A4EA743D2F for ; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:53:55 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu) Received: from zappa.Chelsea-Ct.Org (pool-151-199-113-125.roa.east.verizon.net [151.199.113.125]) by gromit.dlib.vt.edu (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id j1CFrrAw049439 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Sat, 12 Feb 2005 10:53:54 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu) Received: from zappa.Chelsea-Ct.Org (localhost.Chelsea-Ct.Org [127.0.0.1]) by zappa.Chelsea-Ct.Org (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id j1CFrlno075045 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Sat, 12 Feb 2005 10:53:47 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu) Received: (from paul@localhost) by zappa.Chelsea-Ct.Org (8.13.1/8.13.1/Submit) id j1CFrl8Z075044; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 10:53:47 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu) X-Authentication-Warning: zappa.Chelsea-Ct.Org: paul set sender to paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu using -f From: Paul Mather To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org In-Reply-To: <20050212103839.05EEC16A4D0@hub.freebsd.org> References: <20050212103839.05EEC16A4D0@hub.freebsd.org> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 10:53:46 -0500 Message-Id: <1108223626.73547.14.camel@zappa.Chelsea-Ct.Org> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.0.3 FreeBSD GNOME Team Port cc: Anthony Atkielski Subject: Re: Instead of freebsd.com, why not... X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:53:56 -0000 On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 11:01:27 +0100, Anthony Atkielski wrote: > Paul Mather writes: > > > The operating system is one thing; a certain level support is > another. > > That's Free/Open Source software for you. > > Yes. And it's one of the factors that makes the open-source movement > highly self-limiting. I don't know of any way around it. But that's > why I'd only recommend open-source solutions for mission-critical > functions if an organization already has all the expertise it needs to > support those solutions in-house and on site ... because if something > goes down, that's the only serious support that will be available. In > many situations, a limited level of support is tolerable, but not for > key and mission-critical production use. As I said, that's why you'd contract with one of those outfits in the "Vendors" section. This is not rocket science. (BTW, it is usually not realistic to expect an organisation to have "all the expertise it needs to support those solutions in-house and on site." A simple case in point is the [mission critical] enterprise backup solution used at our University: Tivoli TSM. Sure, we have a TSM administrator who can serve in an operational capacity. But, she sure can't fix bugs in the TSM software (nor repair the hardware). That's why we have a Tivoli support contract, because Tivoli [IBM] have people who [hopefully eventually] can. Ditto with our Sun systems. We don't have on-site Sun engineers, but we do have a support contract with emergency call-out that fulfills the same practical function. The same is true of solutions built out of Open Source products.) Cheers, Paul. -- e-mail: paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu "Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid." --- Frank Vincent Zappa