*BSD News Article 25090


Return to BSD News archive

Xref: sserve comp.unix.misc:10557 comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit:5161 comp.unix.bsd:13105
Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit,comp.unix.bsd
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!mel.dit.csiro.au!its.csiro.au!dmssyd.syd.dms.CSIRO.AU!dmsperth.per.dms.CSIRO.AU!uniwa!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!uuspew.uu.net!uunet!emba-news.uvm.edu!aix3.emba.uvm.edu!wollman
From: wollman@aix3.emba.uvm.edu (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: SCO market share
Message-ID: <1993Dec17.165008.10730@emba.uvm.edu>
Sender: news@emba.uvm.edu
Organization: University of Vermont, EMBA Computer Facility
References: <2efuku$4vj@rhombus.cs.jhu.edu> <9312142221.aa02201@fags.stonewall.demon.co.uk> <2elv4l$7bf@panix.com> <9312160942.aa05228@fags.stonewall.demon.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1993 16:50:08 GMT
Lines: 32

[NB: deleted X and biz.sco groups...]

In article <9312160942.aa05228@fags.stonewall.demon.co.uk>,
Nigel Whitfield <nigel@stonewall.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>When it comes to work, I have to know that there is support there that
>is unconditional. It doesn't have to depend on my staff knowing how to
>access the net, and the right person reading the right newsgroup at
>the appropriate moment.

Neither does support for free software.

Unlike commercial operating systems, free operating systems come with
source code, which allows small organizations access to a competitive
market for contract support services, and larger organizations can use
their own support staff without requiring an expensive source license.

Somewhere I had a listing of people providing contract support for
FreeBSD.  Unfortunately, it seems to have disappeared.  I would note
that a good number of the FreeBSD principals are by trade contract
programmers, and got involved partly as a way of increasing business.

As regards other systems, well, just consider the size and range of
the SUPPORT file that comes with GNU Emacs.

-GAWollman

-- 
Garrett A. Wollman   | Shashish is simple, it's discreet, it's brief. ... 
wollman@emba.uvm.edu | Shashish is the bonding of hearts in spite of distance.
uvm-gen!wollman      | It is a bond more powerful than absence.  We like people
UVM disagrees.       | who like Shashish.  - Claude McKenzie + Florent Vollant