On Mon, Jun 17, 2002 at 11:44:53AM +0200, Jan Johansson wrote: > > so contractual, however inresponsive, support from a lame-ass > > linux distro > > means more to you than actually securing the system? > > Nope. Read my last paragraph. A system provider which can not also offer a > _legally binding_ support contract is simply not allowed on any production / > mission critical servers within our organisation. So it doesnt really matter > that i prefer Debian and Slack over RedHat, i still wouldnt be allowed to > deploy a deb-system.
Analogy to life insurance: I know people fully comforatable dying because they have life insurance. By analogy, some managers are fully happy killing a company with high costs, because they have insured themselves through some expensive contracts. Within a year, 1994-1995, I went through Slackware, RedHat, and Debian, when I realized that most of my understanding, most of my power, most of my solutions were coming from the debian-user email-list. Perusing Debian's archives for solutions produces knowledgeable personel. A co-worker of mine arranged an expensive contract with IBM for AIX solutions. He calls IBM to even add a username. Where I work (a government agency), managers have stated that they want a contract, so that should problems become insurmountable, the managers can lay blame with the contractor. Rather than laying a foundation in personnel, they lay a foundation for external blame. This is the culmination of support contracts: effete personel. We should all have taken moral classes as every Japanese must, with its 5 fundamentals, all intertwined, 3 of which I remember, Do the hard thing Endure hardships Persevere in striving In 1993, I remember our paying Sun an exorbitant price, which included letting me see email solutions. Debian's email solutions are far more extensive than Sun's, so I sometimes successfully searched Debian's archives for solutions to what were really Sun problems. I have seen nothing as good as Debian's email lists. No for-profit company can induce users to contribute even 5 percent of what Debian users/developers contribute to their email lists. These email-lists have encyclopedic information, not thin Boolean information of a contract, "yes, I bought a contract". HOW MUCH MUST YOU PAY TO GET ARCHIVED SOLUTIONS AT THE LEVEL OF DEBIAN'S? Request such archives as part of your support. You cannot buy the level of information found in Debian's archives! Why seek lesser support? From tradition? Only about once a year do I ask a question on the Debian email-list, because its vast email-list archives and bug-archives retain solutions to my other sought problems. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
