I'll see your $0.02 and raise you a buck. Here's an article I wrote that will be published in August. I have been criticized on the XML discussion, but it's close enough for suits. My thrust here is not to replace Windows, but to replace the Office software to illustrate our independence from Microsoft. The OS is next . . . George Issue: July 2002 Author: George Toft Column Name: Partially Penguin Title: The True Value of StarOffice Subtitle: Article Description: This article illustrates the hidden value of StarOffice. Article: Sun Microsystems has finally released the new version of StarOffice. Without reviewing its whizbang features, StarOffice offers a surprising value for businesses. This month, we will explore these hidden values that will save you hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars per desktop computer. To fully appreciate StarOffice's value, you must understand that there are two forces at work here: 1) Annual cost per PC; and 2) Access to your data. The remainder of this article will cover both of these will be covered in detail. Annual Cost Per PC StarOffice is release under what Microsoft has traditionally called the "perpetual license." You pay some fixed amount of money to the vendor, and in exchange, receive the right to use the software forever - perpetually. In this case, that cost is $75.95, and if you happen to buy 150 license, that cost drops to $50 per copy[1]. Now I bet you are wondering why I mentioned Microsoft in the above paragraph. Microsoft has decided to change their licensing model from the perpetual license to one that must be renewed every three years[2][3], and it is licensed per PC. This means if you liquidate a PC and acquire a new PC, you must buy a new license. The big "Gotcha" with the new licensing program Let us illustrate what happens in a small enterprise consisting of 250 desktop computers. Buying 200 StarOffice licenses at $50 each results in a one-time expenditure of $12,500. With Microsoft Office, your initial outlay is $106,248 (250 times MSRP $479.99[4] minus 15% Microsoft "deep discount"[2]). StarOffice just saved us 88%, and the savings are just beginning. Under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, the Office license must be paid every three years (amortized in annual payments over three years), with no mention of a discount. So the next three years Office license will cost $124,998. Maximizing the life of the PC by using it for six years, StarOffice costs just $8.33 per year per copy. Microsoft Office costs $148.00 per year per PC - remember, if you buy a new PC, you must buy a new Microsoft Office license. In a recent survey[5], 36% of the respondents said they could not afford the new Microsoft Licensing. 38% said they were looking to switch to Linux and StarOffice. If that's not enough reason to convert to StarOffice, wait until you read the next section. Access To Your Data You may have heard of The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA)[6] - the law that is attempting to sweep the nation that would make it illegal to reverse-engineer file formats, and it gives software vendors the right to disable your software remotely[7]. (To fully appreciate the impacts of this law, see "The UCITA Car"[8].) This is already law in Virginia and Maryland. The opponents of this law predict sole-source vendors will use this new power to hold their customer's data hostage, forcing the customers to pay licensing fees on an annual basis for the privilege of accessing their own data. StarOffice 6 circumvents this issue by using XML (an Open Standard) as the data storage format. Since browsers understand XML, you can view any StarOffice document using just a web browser (notice how the web sites in Reference 7 are not HTML - they are XML). This assures you that you will have the uninterrupted access to your data that you will need. Since the data storage format is en established standard, any company can use that format to build competing products, thereby stimulating innovation and competition. With competition, you no longer have to worry about relying upon a sole-source vendor who may have a documented history of abusive business practices. Computer security is the real issue at stake here. The three most important principles in computer security are: Confidentiality, Integrity and Accessibility (CIA). If you are using Windows XP Professional, you have already given Microsoft the right to inspect your computer, check software version number, and make changes to the components of the operating system (read your EULA, Section 7). This violates Confidentiality as now there is someone else inside your computer. Microsoft has a long history of changing their file formats with each subsequent release of any product. Sometimes, these file formats are incompatible, which risks the Integrity of your data. Since UCITA gives vendors the right to remotely disable software[6] (at the discretion of the vendor, mind you), this poses an immutable risk to data Accessibility. Again, by adopting an established and open standard, Sun Microsystems enhances your computer security posture by maintaining the Confidentiality, Integrity and Accessibility of your data. Summary In conclusion, StarOffice is a good financial value regardless of which Microsoft Licensing Plan you choose. It becomes a much better value in light of the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. Using StarOffice also provides you with the three crucial elements of data security. These features make StarOffice a "must use" in any business setting. Note: Every article I have written for Hawaiian HardDrive for the last three years was written in StarOffice, saved in Microsoft Word format and sent to my editor. This demonstrated StarOffice's interoperability with Microsoft products, which will hep you in your migration plans. Resources 1. Sun Microsystems. http://wwws.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/6.0/get/index.html 2. Microsoft Corporation. http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/ent/default.asp 3. ZDNet. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-808062.html 4. CompUSA. http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=283745 5. The Register/ComputerWire. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/24845.html 6. CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/05/08/reverse.engineering.idg/ 7. InfoWorld. http://www.infoworld.com/ucita/index.html, http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/00/08/21/000821opfoster.xml, http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/01/11/12/011112opfoster.xml, 8. The UCITA Car. http://www.troubleshooters.com/ucita/ucitacar.htm "John (EBo) David" wrote: > > Curtis Zinzilieta wrote: > > > > A far worse result would be to turn out in numbers, largely unorganized, > > and appear before them speaking like religious zealots. > > > > Numbers are important, yes, but more important will be the ability to > > calmly and rationally present our points and viable alternatives. > > Alternatives that can actually be implemented in a reasonable timeframe > > and can be expected to work. I believe it's impossible to expect the > > county to turn over every desktop and server in a very few days, for > > instance, regardless of standing laws or statutes. > > > > Again, clear and concise points, well presented, with backup, are what > > will be needed here. Speaking off the cuff, without prior thought or > > consideration, is not likely to make many points. > > I'm cramming to get my thesis out and have only been skimming the > posts... > > On thing that I have not seen discussed so far is suggestions on how to > ween the Gov. off of M$. > > Example: can Kword, Kspread, Kpresenter, etc. be compiled using Qt, etc. > and run on Win*? Is there another opensource *word editor which works > on multiple platforms? How bout databases? > > If I was their IT guy I would want to see the following at least > described if not in person: > > 1) A list of software with capability lists that are common to > orginizations like theirs. > > 2) a compatibility chart for what they currently use to what roughly > replaces it. > > 3) a list of those packages which will not only run on *NIX, but also > Win* so that I could lod it up on the uses machines and start getting > people to use it, etc. > > 4) and possibly last, and this would likely be the clincher, chart the > costs (seat purchase, maintance, etc.) of the two. Best of all would be > a first pass on estimating the migration costs also. > > well... back to working on my thesis... that's my 2 c > > EBo -- > ________________________________________________ > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail. > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss -- If you feel you have received a virus from me, please read http://www.georgetoft.com/virus.html because it wasn't me! --