[Docs] Re: [support] Interchange lacks true open source motives

Jeff Lane docs@lists.akopia.com
Tue, 31 Jul 2001 14:59:14 -0400 (EDT)


On Mon, 30 Jul 2001, Richard Ashley wrote:

> When I contacted RedHat, the sales rep I spoke with was very insistant on
> having a redhat tech team do the Interchange install, and now I see why. The
> documentation is horrid and is more of a presentation to executives rather
> than a technical document.

THe documentation I downloaded was all I needed to do an IC install the
first time.  The only problem I had with it was Perl, and that had nothing
to do with interchange... it was a problem with a bad perl module I was
trying to install.  From what I have seen through years of working with
OSS, Interchange is one of the best documented ones I have ever seen.  Try
finding useful docs that teach teh novice how to manually configure
sendmail, etc.

> The information on how to use interchange is extremely lacking and I do
> not think interchange follows the true open source movement. All that
> the users get is a little bundle of programming with virtually no
> instructions.

Ummm which open source movement are you following.  From what I have seen,
the description you give is a pretty good description of most of the tens
of thousands of open source products.  SO, by your own description of
Interchange..." All that the users get is a little bundle of programming
with virtually no instructions"... it sounds EXACTLY like most open source
software.  But then again, since Interchange is very well documented, and
is one of the more actively supported OSS products around (check out the
number of active Interchange mailing lists) it must be one of the better
examples of OSS, since it includes documentation, albeit mostly online,
and a very active developer and user support base.

> If you really want good help, you have to pay for support.

Ummm And how else do you suggest a company could make money on a FREE
product?  Of course you have to pay for dedicated technical support.  We
have to feed our families somehow.  Name ONE company that gives absolutely
free support for their Open Source products.  Just one.  There probably is
ONE out there somewhere, but I am very willing to bet that if there is,
that company is not making much money.  And sad to say, no money means no
development, no new products, no support and eventually no more company.

> I do not think interchange is true open source and this product had
> changed my once, good natured views of redhat into something less desirable.

Again, what exactly is Open Source to you?  In my definition, And the
definition of ESR, and most all of the other "Gods of Open Source"
Interchange is exactly that.  It is "Free as in Freedom, Not Free as in
Free Beer".

I am sorry your opinion of Red Hat has changed, but if it has it is really
through little fault of ours.  The documentation is there, the community
is there to help, AND the support is there for a price.


 --
Jeffrey Lane, RHCX, EMT

Red Hat, Inc.  919-547-0012
www.redhat.com/support