SA’s free software dream turns into telecoms nightmare

[rpm]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/1417.html

 

[LCBXX]

I've said it before - Free software can only stay free because of the small user-base it serves. The moment you want to expand into a vast commercial space, it is financially impractical to keep it free.

Don't go and blame expensive Telecoms as the only culprit. You're going to sound like the Health Department who individually blames education/employment/housing/the Rand/etc for the AIDS epidemic.

 

[NoADSLyet]

I've said it before - Free software can only stay free because of the small user-base it serves. The moment you want to expand into a vast commercial space, it is financially impractical to keep it free.

Don't go and blame expensive Telecoms as the only culprit. You're going to sound like the Health Department who individually blames education/employment/housing/the Rand/etc for the AIDS epidemic.

Your comparison says it all, it a no brainer! Read the article again and comment when you understand the undertones properly. You rather sound like a salesman that hates or rather feel sore at the free enterprise opensource software like Linux or openoffice. Shame!

 

[SSurfer]

I've said it before - Free software can only stay free because of the small user-base it serves. The moment you want to expand into a vast commercial space, it is financially impractical to keep it free.

You're right..whenever demand for anything increases so do costs and nobody is going to foot the extra costs just to give the sofware away for free.

 

[bwana]

You're right..whenever demand for anything increases so do costs and nobody is going to foot the extra costs just to give the sofware away for free.

Ubuntu - ever heard of it? Have a look at http://ubuntu.com/

For more information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(Linux_distribution)

 

[LCBXX]

Your comparison says it all, it a no brainer! Read the article again and comment when you understand the undertones properly. You rather sound like a salesman that hates or rather feel sore at the free enterprise opensource software like Linux or openoffice. Shame!

I'm just going to ask you to mark your words.

If basic living necessities needed by the masses aren't free, how of earth would software utilised by the same number of people be? No brainier, huh?

 

[McSack]

I've said it before - Free software can only stay free because of the small user-base it serves. The moment you want to expand into a vast commercial space, it is financially impractical to keep it free.

Don't go and blame expensive Telecoms as the only culprit. You're going to sound like the Health Department who individually blames education/employment/housing/the Rand/etc for the AIDS epidemic.

I agree with you 100% there ... there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Just check out this quote from the article:

One of SA’s largest open source projects is the R10bn,

10-year Integrated Financial Management System to unite the government’s financial, human resources, asset management and logistics software.

Anyone here reckon R10bn is a saving?? Why reinvent the wheel?

For that kind of cost why don't the idiots just implement SAP. They could get it in in half the time at half the cost and have a proven environment with a fraction of the problems they're going to pick up when they go live with an underresourced system and crap code (no offence intended to anyone working on this project, but if our traffic system is anything to go by... )

 

[LCBXX]

Just to get things straight here - I don't condemn the whole free OS/Software idea.

My point is that you cannot keep offering something for free once you move out of the largely specialist/enthusiast space (where Ubuntu and it's Linux siblings operate) into a global market.

 

[nk1]

Just to get things straight here - I don't condemn the whole free OS/Software idea.

My point is that you cannot keep offering something for free once you move out of the largely specialist/enthusiast space (where Ubuntu and it's Linux siblings operate) into a global market.

So why is it that an article about high telecoms impacting software development suddenly turn out against Open Source. Another misconception is Linux is specialist or enthusiast, biggest issue I had was the wife acceptance factor and now with Ubuntu Fiesty that has disappeared. Had a good laugh when after installing applications she asked if she had to restart the PC.

 

[LCBXX]

So why is it that an article about high telecoms impacting software development suddenly turn out against Open Source.

Ask NoADSLyet, 3rd post.

I said that the cost of development cannot be blamed solely on high Telecoms. Even developers cost money - they have to eat and drink, and if they do, they have to go the the loo, and TP/newspaper/rag costs money. The electricity they their Workstations use for development cost money, etc.

 

[antowan]

I've said it before - Free software can only stay free because of the small user-base it serves. The moment you want to expand into a vast commercial space, it is financially impractical to keep it free.

Don't go and blame expensive Telecoms as the only culprit. You're going to sound like the Health Department who individually blames education/employment/housing/the Rand/etc for the AIDS epidemic.

You cannot be serious. Naturally the high cost of telecoms is to our detriment.

Simple to understand.

Whatever they can do cheaply, we have to pay our soul for!

Imagine the world economy as a big track athletics race of nations.

Some nations dress their athletes in feather light clothes, give them nice running shoes with soft soles and even bus in some supporters to cheer their athletes on.

South Africa is also competing but our athletes received heavy jackets to run in with rocks in their pockets. They are wearing "plakkies" for running shoes and by special request from the minister of the DoC our lane has got some hurdles to make it interesting. Oh and our supporters are the Minister of the DoC herself and her Director General. The minister of Health will also be there with some beetroot and garlic at hand to boost our physical performance.

 

[antowan]

I'm just going to ask you to mark your words.

If basic living necessities needed by the masses aren't free, how of earth would software utilised by the same number of people be? No brainier, huh?

Because you can write code once and replicate it to infinity with close to nill cost. That is why. Distributing it adds cost. That is where we are stuck because we have high telecoms aka distribution costs in South Africa.

Try growing one mielie and replicating it with no cost... Heck, try distributing it!!!

Free is a relative term, but the basic necessities argument is null and void.

 

[LCBXX]

You cannot be serious. Naturally the high cost of telecoms is to our detriment.

I feel your pain, I pay a lot to stay in touch too. But it is because I choose to and the Telecom companies know that my choices are limited.

R50 says that once Telecom costs are down to 1c a meg and 1c a minute, the complaints about development-hindrance will simply change direction to another department, hence my example of the Health Department.

Than again, humans naturally complain about that which they get for free, even though the term "free" is relative.

 

[icyrus]

Ask NoADSLyet, 3rd post.

I said that the cost of development cannot be blamed solely on high Telecoms. Even developers cost money - they have to eat and drink, and if they do, they have to go the the loo, and TP/newspaper/rag costs money. The electricity they their Workstations use for development cost money, etc.

Most OSS developers either work on the projects in their spare time or some companies with vision pay them for their contributions.

You also seem to have no understanding of what the free software movement really means.

 

[LCBXX]

Most OSS developers either work on the projects in their spare time or some companies with vision pay them for their contributions.

You also seem to have no understanding of what the free software movement really means.

Why should I, since free isn't exactly free anyway?

Be realistic guys. As McSack said, there is no free lunch, especially in IT. Firefox is in bed with their competitor Internet Explorer, even if it is "only" for discussions around web standards.

 

[antowan]

I feel your pain, I pay a lot to stay in touch too. But it is because I choose to and the Telecom companies know that my choices are limited.

R50 says that once Telecom costs are down to 1c a meg and 1c a minute, the complaints about development-hindrance will simply change direction to another department, hence my example of the Health Department.

Than again, humans naturally complain about that which they get for free, even though the term "free" is relative.

ROFL! Bring it on!

 

[icyrus]

Why should I, since free isn't exactly free anyway?

Be realistic guys. As McSack said, there is no free lunch, especially in IT. Firefox is in bed with their competitor Internet Explorer, even if it is "only" for discussions around web standards.

Because talking about something which you clearly have no idea about makes you look completely ignorant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_movement

Do yourself a favor and do some reading.

Free Software is about more than the price.

 

[semiautomatix]

The biggest idea is to save on licensing costs.

If I develop a product for R100000 using Oracle. I now add licensing at R1mil for three years to be able to use Oracle the final tally is R1,1mil.

Now if I develop using an open source platform such as Firebird and the licensing is R0 then the final tally is R100000.

The government has just saved R1mil for the same product and, yes, the developers are still receiving payment.

Do this on a large scale, i.e. replace Windows with Linux, Oracle/SQL Server with OS databases, Exchange with Scalix, etc, etc; you're looking at a huge saving!

 

[LCBXX]

Because talking about something which you clearly have no idea about makes you look completely ignorant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_movement

Do yourself a favor and do some reading.

Free Software is about more than the price.

Allright. Done the reading. Still don't see why Telcoms are to blame as Telkom is in a completely different business, like Teazers for example.

Some individuals want to see people without clothes as they want to see it all.
Some people want software without patents or closed source for reasons stated in the article

Teazers offers you the opportunity to see people without clothes.
Telkom offers you the opportunity to communicate, collaborate, download and exchange your free software

Teazers charges you an amount of money to fulfill you need to see people without clothes.
Telkom charges you an excruciating (I'll admit) amount of money to fulfill your need to communicate, collaborate, download and exchange your free software.

Some people complain that Telkom/Teazers are making insane amounts of money from the needs of people, resulting in the discussed article and this discussion thread.

What was this thread about again?

 

[nk1]

What was this thread about again?

The article from what I gathered, discussed the high cost of developers collaborating and the distribution of this and other software via the internet. Unlike the commercial counterparts the web is the main method of distribution and biggest inhibitor to this environment is Telkom. How you steered this thread to something else is beyond me…