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[Art Alexion]

On Monday 30 April 2007 21:29, Andy wrote:
> To almost anyone outside IT "computer literacy" means a good grasp of M$
> Office. Most people, including those in high decision-making positions,
> honestly believe that there is no alternative to Microsoft,

This is, unfortunately, true.  It is the result of the convergence of two 
paradigms: (1) most workers are most resistant to even minor change, 
including MS upgrades, and (2) MS has a virtual monopoly.

Managers know full well about alternatives, but fear the cost of implementing 
them with a technology averse workforce.  

In the early '90s, we were one of the first offices to use windows 3.1 and 
word 2.0.  Most offices were using DOS and WordPerfect (with computers 
booting directly into WordPerfect).  When my secretary went on maternity 
leave, we had a hell of a time replacing her with someone who did not fear 
the GUI and a mouse.  We ended up hiring a Mac user.  This was difficult 
involving one employee.  Multiply that by the number of employees in big 
offices, and free software starts costing a lot of money.

That is the challenge for Linux and OSS. The more familiar the interface, the 
easier it is to implement in the enterprise.  Unfortunately, Linux adopters, 
like me, prefer alternative interfaces.  (MS can get away with changing its 
interface because managers trust that the new interface will become the 
familiar standard.)
-- 

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Art Alexion

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