RE: [Fsfe-uk] NCC Filetab for Linux

[Tom Weiss]

> 
> Are you sure about the cost bit?  I feel that the right way to sell it
is
> on
> the freedom to have any service provider that they choose work on it
in
> the
> future.  Many schools have been locked in to players like RM in the
past
> (and many still are) and have been burnt by this, but don't realise
that
> there is another way to buy software.
> --
[Tom Weiss says] 

I think that freedom is generally too ethereal and involved a concept to
sell on. It is probably something that will keep people using free
software but not something that will convert them.

When trying to persuade people to part with their money, most arguments
tend to fall in one of two camps:
1. it saves you money
2. it saves you time

In the case of software, this tends to be
1. licensing costs / total cost of ownership
2. easy to install / little training required.

The fundamental benefit of free software is that is saves everyone money
in the long term, and for most people it will save them money in the
short term. The hard case is to argue that it save time because:
a) It doesn't look the same as Windows, which is familiar to most people
b) It is trickier to install than Windows.

I suspect that the approach to use is similar to Zope corporation, which
is to offer a Linux install + support at a fixed price. You don't need
to tell the client that the software is free, but as you don't need to
pay a license cost:
a) Your overall price is cheaper than a Microsoft solution
b) It is perceived as lower risk because you are offering a fixed price

This has the added benefit that as a services organisation, you make
more money because you are taking all the revenue.

With specific regard to the education sector, I think that cost is
always a massive consideration because they perceive themselves to be
underfunded and stretched to achieve what they need on their budgets. I
would also expect that most headmistresses are not that technical so
discussions about free software are likely to be difficult to
communicate: cost, risk, and the quality of service you can provide are
likely to be much more forceful.

t.