Looking for new business oportunities

[Darryl Moore]

The problem with this, and I've run into it while discussing FLOSS with
the IT department at my local school board, is that as soon as you take
away the office software, then MS jacks the cost of the OS so that the
savings becomes negligible. I think this would always be MS strategy, so
you really need to sell them on an all or nothing approach (save
possibly for a hand full of computers or VMs which run a minimal of
Windows software for which there is no open alternative.)

John Gill wrote:
> There is a middle ground that can be used here.
> 
> First off, run the servers on linux.
> 
> Second don't buy office etc -- use openoffice for windows.
> 
> Use firefox for browsing.
> 
> etc etc.
> 
> This gets them familiar with the apps, saves them the bulk of the
> license costs and only leaves them with the malware problems.   Since it
> is hard to buy a box without some form of windows on it, the OS itself
> doesn't cost too much (at least not in $'s), the main savings come in
> not buying the add-ons.
> 
> Once they are happy with the new tools, then you can start showing them
> shiny new linux desktops.
> 
> John
> 
> On Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 2:41 PM, Darryl Moore <darryl at moores.ca
> <mailto:darryl at moores.ca>> wrote:
> 
>     Hey Leslie. Actually I think that non-profits should be prime targets in
>     this sort of venture. In a legit MS world they often are not able to
>     afford all the extra functionality they might otherwise get in a fully
>     functional MS network environment. In a non-legit MS world. they also
>     suffer from higher risks from malware due to poor or nonexistent
>     security updates.
> 
>