[Linux-aus] Benefits

[Andrae Muys]

Leon Brooks wrote:
> On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 09:05, Con Zymaris wrote:
> 
>>It's a worthwhile list, but this last paragraph may indicate what the
>>main problem might be: "If you can think of a way to cram a lot of
>>those benefits..." This is your choker-chain. There's just too much
>>to cram, and possibly too much to raise issue with.
> 
> I guess the only reasonable technique is to article-domain-multiplex 
> benefits through. Mention the three most appropriate in any contact, or 
> pick three at random each time if the contact has no particular focus.
> 
> Of course, the more benefits we have to hand to select amongst, the 
> better each response will be. "Matching the ideal benefit to each 
> objection to produce better quality Scream."<*> (-:
> 

Indeed we most certainly should customise our message to different 
segments of the market.  For my brother the most compelling benefit for 
FOSS is the lack of price.  With OpenOffice he dosn't have to shell out 
$mega just so he can make personal use of an office suite.  For a large 
corporate or government department the price difference rapidly becomes 
negligable when compared to the cost of *any* conversion.  What they 
stand to gain is not price, but *control*!

As far as the push for open data/protocols, I agree whole heartedly.  I 
have always been uncomfortable with proposals to bias purchasing in 
favour of FOSS.  I'm firmly of the belief that if governments are acting 
in their citizens best interests this naturally favours FOSS.  If we can 
legislate against Data/Protocol lock in, Vendor lock in, and the 
exploitation of network effects from Government to the wider economy we 
achieve all this and more.

Andrae

-- 
Andrae Muys                       But can it generate *quantum* Haiku
<andrae.muys at braintree.com.au>    error messages, in Latin, where each
Engineer                          line of the error message is a
Braintree Communications          palindrome? -- Mike Vanier on perl