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1
TopKnot
Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 9:08

  • TopKnot

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 70

  • Since: 2005/9/27


Your thoughts on the following statement from an IT person.

I have to say though I'm not hot on open source stuff. *** (the company I work for) is usually looking to keep industry standard stuff and is willing to pay the extra bucks to get it.

I've been trying to get my company to save money by using open source software...XOOPS included. I have made a number of suggestions and get stonewalled. The above statement is a direct quote from my employer's IT person.

If you were a small business with employees willing to help with cutting cost, would you rather pay $2000 for a CMS and $500 per copy of a graphics program or use open source?
2
Herko
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 9:39

  • Herko

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 4238

  • Since: 2002/2/4 1


I'm an e-government consultant, and get this kind of question a lot.

It shouldn't matter what licencing model is attached to the software, what should matter is if it meets the requirements. These requirements are technical (does it work in our architecture), functional (does it perform the task we need it to do), and management and maintenance wise (what guarantees on service level, support, maitenance, training, etc. do we get) and implementation (can we get proof that this product does what we need, and that the implementor can do this?). Then you make a list of pros and cons, costs is just one factor in this equation.

The only thing you're asking from your company, is that they look at ALL available type of solutions, open ánd closed source.

Herko
3
Peekay
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 10:38

  • Peekay

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 2335

  • Since: 2004/11/20


I think Herko's strategy is exactly the one your employer should be adopting. However, the problem you face is not whether XOOPS can match the functionality of a commercial CMS, it's that "No one ever got fired for buying IBM"
A thread is for life. Not just for Christmas.
4
Quest
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 11:09

  • Quest

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 1034

  • Since: 2005/11/19


I believe that many big businesses haven't a clue, they just want what they want and want it now. For example, and I could be wrong here. Take the term Industry Standard in regards to computer technology. Industry Standard IMHO is just a big corporate word used instead of using the simpler word Popular. Popularity is not necessarily Industry Standard in regards to computers, programs and software. Microsoft Windows IE is an example of this analogy. They are the most popular used and people do refer to it as the Industry Standard but the truth is they are the Microsoft Standard.

Herko is right. They are not thinking clearly and it will cost them as it does thousands and maybe even millions of business each year.

Industry Standard when dealing with such issues should be reserved for discussions in regards to:
1. Things Herko said
2. W3C compliant
3. CSS
4. and more
5. Things Herko said.

Best regards,
Quest
5
Herko
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 14:08

  • Herko

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 4238

  • Since: 2002/2/4 1


Herve?

Herko
6
Quest
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 14:22

  • Quest

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 1034

  • Since: 2005/11/19


I had been looking at Herve's new release of Userpage. Fixed. Sorry bout that!
7
TopKnot
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/26 19:45

  • TopKnot

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 70

  • Since: 2005/9/27


Herko:

Good advice...

So you give you some background, the company I work for has:
1. No web architecture to speak of. Just a semi-good static html site. Confusing and hard to navigate.
2. Would XOOPS or other open source CMS's work? I'd say yes as a made a test site for them. For the most part, got no response other than I misspelled a word or two. The site was closed for maintenance and only a few people had access...the boss never visited the site.
3. Level of work to maintain the site? Good question!!!! Being the resident expert on XOOPS, guess I'd be doing most of the maintenance until I could get the IT person/webmaster up to speed.
4. Cost is just one factor? Yes you are right but when the budget is just a $20 a month hosting plan, I'd say XOOPS would fit nicely into that budget.

My thoughts: No one in the company cares. They have problems that XOOPS would solve as I proved with the test site. While it's no skin off my teeth, it would be nice if the company made some improvements and maybe attracted more business. My motto for the company is:
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink"
8
Quest
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/27 1:41

  • Quest

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 1034

  • Since: 2005/11/19


Something to consider is that hosting plan they utilize. They could do much better than $20.00. My brother had his business site on one of those $19.95 hosting sites plus was paying another well known web company for the domain name. Problem was exactly like yours as far as the static html went and no real navigation or architecture. He didn't have a problem with changing when I laid it out for him. Why he wasn't getting any traffic, sales prospect etc. and the savings. The host he had wanted you to pay for everything extra (ring a bell?). If you wanted a MySQL database that was extra and on and on. Bleeding him dry and he didn't know it because he was to busy running his company.
We moved his host and transfered the domain. The domain name was free with the host package. We just transfered the registrar. His new host cost less than $100 a year, offers great support, several MySQL and Postgre Database, sub-domains, domain parking, excellent storage and bandwith usage, and other things using fantastico (if wanted) as part of the package. He is tickled pink!

Best of Luck!
Quest
9
TopKnot
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/27 19:13

  • TopKnot

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 70

  • Since: 2005/9/27


To be honest with you, I think my company gets their hosting for about $12 a month or so. Thanks for the heads up on the cheaper monthly hosting though.
10
Herko
Re: Open Source and Industry Standard

  • 2006/10/27 19:23

  • Herko

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 4238

  • Since: 2002/2/4 1


Quote:

TopKnot wrote:
Herko:

Good advice...

So you give you some background, the company I work for has:
<snip>

My thoughts: No one in the company cares. They have problems that XOOPS would solve as I proved with the test site. While it's no skin off my teeth, it would be nice if the company made some improvements and maybe attracted more business. My motto for the company is:
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink"


Right. Then why sell them XOOPS at all? Sell them a better managed website. Give them an estimate of the costs in money (recurring costs, investment and setup costs, that sort of thing), and an idea of the immediate benefits and loger term potential (increase in quality, better corporate communication, etc.). If they don't care whether it is open source XOOPS or closed source IBM software, don't make them consider that. Make them consider the website.

Herko
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