[Linux-aus] [Lias] Open Letter to the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

[Brenda Aynsley]

Andrew Dorrell wrote:

> At my kids high school we are charged a "computer services" fee, part of 
> which buys them a USB drive... but its empty.  Why not give all kids a 
> USB key with firefox portable edition + zotero on it so they can carry 
> their bookmarks and research work with them?  Why not pack it with other 
> free portable OSS apps on at the same time 
> (http://portableapps.com/suite)? 
> 


good thoughts, but who is going to pay to install them, to update them, 
to support them?

It's less about avoiding FOSS and more about the cost of including FOSS 
- cost in terms of time which equates to dollars.

At the ACS PC Recycling Group we include choices on our windows 
desktops, 2 browsers, 2 email clients, 4 media players, make the file 
save as settings in OpenOffice compatible by default with MS Office and 
recommend installed FOSS products to our 'customers'.  But we are 
volunteers and don't cost our time in doing so.

We also provide ubuntu computers as our cheapest offering, I gotta tell 
you that people will pay for windows rather than ubuntu just because of 
the mindset.

Never mind, thanks to ubuntu's growing acceptance and market share and 
product improvement, it's an evolving thing and in 5 years I reckon 
we'll be singing a different tune just by doing what we do when we can.

cheers
brenda


-- 
Brenda Aynsley, FACS, PCP
Director Oz Business Partners http://www.ozbusinesspartners.com/
Mobile:+61(0) 412 662 988 || Skype: callto://baynsley
Phone:08 8357 8844  Fax:08 8272 7486 Nodephone:08 7127 0107

Chairman Pearcey Foundation, SA Committee www.pearcey.org.au
Immediate Past Chairman ACS SA Branch www.acs.org.au/sa

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