Confidence in Open Source Products
One of the biggest issues with getting Open Source products adopted in our schools is user confidence.
And, what has the Open Source Community done to increase that confidence in Open Source products?
For example, I failed to notice much difference between MS Office 2000 or MS Office 2003 and either Open Office or Star Office.
But, I might not notice much difference in driving a car with an automatic transmission and a stick shift, having drive multiple 100,000s of miles with each type of transmission.
As far as I know most of the functions of each program work in a similar fashion.
But, why should users have to care about these differences at all?
It is up to the Open Source developers to ensure that the user experience is seamless and positive. It is not Microsoft’s responsibility to adjust to the chaotic and “wild west” Open Source environment, but it is the Open Source community’s responsibility to set standards and bring development under control.
Of course, learning to use multiple products is beneficial.
Our students need to learn principles for technology use, so that they can adjust to changes in the technology.
For example, Microsoft Office for Vista™ is different, better in many ways; but there is a learning curve. Eventually, Open Source clone software will try to introduce the new features and they will take a stab at compatibility. But, they will be playing “catch up.”
In order for Open Source products to take the lion’s share of the software market, Open Source developers will have to “out inn ovate” Microsoft™.
But, how can this happen with the “free wheeling, uncontrolled, un centralized Open Source development community? Who will set standards? Who will bring disparate factions in line? Who will spend the Research and Development (R&D) dollars that are needed? Who can match Microsoft™’s R&D budget?
Several companies tried to beat Microsoft™. None did.
If multi-million dollar corporations can’t compete successfully, how can we expect that a legion of volunteers, doing their own thing, will somehow produce software innovation?
But, back to user confidence?
All it takes is one important document to have its formatting “trashed” (by either a Microsoft™ product or by the Open Source product, it doesn’t make any difference), and the Open Source product will be blamed.
Knowing this, it is up to the Open Source developers to ensure compatibility and absolute safety of user’s work. Anything less (the current state) puts Open Source at a “no-win” competitive disadvantage.
And, Open Source advocates must avoid the “use our products because we’re the good guys and Microsoft™ is evil” arguments.
This is as shortsighted and foolish as saying to the people of the world, “you must join our religion because we are the good guys.”
Another issue with the adoption of Open Source software is the lack of “Third Party Support” for the Open Source products.
For example, will the high-end mind mapping program automatically create presentations in the Open Source product, or, project plans in Open Source project software?
A third issue is that some software (such as Adobe Photoshop™, Adobe Dreamweaver™, Techsmith’s Camtasia™ Studio, Mindjet’s MindManager™ and Inspiration Software’s Inspiration™ do not have Linux versions.
How are users to develop confidence in Open Source solutions when Third Party add-in tools are unavailable? How are users to gain confidence in Open Source products when companies that clearly have the best products on the market in their category do not support an Open Source version of their product?
Open Source advocates seem to believe that price is the strongest motivator, and price (free) is mentioned as the sole marketing advantage. But, users actually want the best products that they can afford, because the best tools are less expensive and more cost effective in the long run.
No mechanic will place confidence in discount-store tools. Mechanics have enough sense to purchase the best tools that they can afford. Confidence, rather than price rules when people who depend on tools for their livelihood make choices.
Open Source folks need to focus upon the stellar quality, the compatibility and the reliability of the products that they advocate.
Anything less saps the Open Source Movement of the vitality that it needs in order to compete in the real-world marketplace.
