On Tue, Nov 11, 2003 at 05:44:16PM -0800, Alvin Oga wrote: > > On Tue, Nov 11, 2003 at 07:04:07PM -0500, Vikki Roemer wrote: > > fun stuff !!! i shoulda been reading this thread earlier :-) > > > > Well, I've come up with this much (quote from my website > > > http://neuromancer.homelinux.com/foosoft.html): > > > FooAdmin > > > For a monthly fee, I will administer your computers. There are 2 plans. > > > > > > Basic Plan: > > > When a patch for your distro is released, I will patch the system. I will > > > also set up a firewall customized for your needs. Whenever you feel you need > > > a kernel upgrade, I'll custom-compile a new kernel for your system. > > great idea and plan ... but ... > > - everybody can do this ??? and does ...
Targeted for home users who are currently stuck in Windows-land?
_who_ exactly is doing this, and how much are they charging?
> > > Premium Plan:
> > > You get the basic plan, plus I will install/compile and configure any
> > > packages you want.
>
> installing is anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hrs ... or 5 days ( raidtesting )
> - depending on ...
[lots of stuff]
I would assume that the installation of a pre-packaged generic desktop
solution would be included in the basic package.
OTOH, nstalling "any packages you want" might want to be a per-labour
kind of offer. This could easily get out of hand if it's just
"included"...
> > > Two questions now: is there anything else I should offer with either plan?
> > > And, how much do you think I should charge monthly (in USD)?
>
> get the customer ... listen to what they want and their worries
> and possible solutions they want implemented...
> -- all else is non-issues ( to them that has the pen in hand
> for your check you want )
Alvin, you seem to be thinking in terms of targeting big businesses and
"crafting a solution" collaboratively with them.
The whole point of Vikki's question (and my suggestion that prompted it)
was to target PC end-users at home.
These are not people who want to be asked all sorts of questions about
their "strategies" or "solutions they want implemented"
This is basically about turning people away from Windows in favour of
"how much to have someone _else_ keep my PC running well?"
If they have word-processing, web browsing and e-mail, most end-users
will probably regard anything else (even frequent backups) as "extra".
<SNIPPED - long list of B2B specifics>
> -- email support in mailing lists is good enough for 95% of folks
> except business that already have their inhouse staff or their
> local "friends"
Well, it's good enough for most of the people who are geek enough
to have gone out and installed Linux on their own. That's a very
different group of people from the home users who know they hate MS, but
have no interest in learning to set up and administer a Linux box.
If someone offers a pre-installed & configured Linux desktop setup with
an administration plan, at a consumer-friendly price...
We might get people away from their current way of thinking (Pay lots
for software that works when it's in the mood)... in favour of a model
where the neighborhood sysadmin is like the plumber or the electrician.
The user doesn't need to know how to maintain the system any more than
they need to know how to wire a power outlet...
Give 'em a stable, low-maintenance system based on free software, and
you might make a very plausible case for this model being cheaper than
buying upgrades of Win, Office, etc.
WinXP is what, 400 bucks? That's 16 hours worth of house calls at
$25/hr. If most of the maintenance is done remotely over ssh, 16 hours
worth of house call could go a long way.
I'm thinking that doing an initial installation could be a lump-sum
(possibly waived as a promo until some momentum gets going) kind
of like the CDN $50 "activation fee" that my DSL company waived when I
signed up. (That "promotion" has been running for at least two years.)
In terms of making a monthly support plan, I'd say the best bet is to
design the system to need as little maintenance as possible and keep the
monthly fee _really_low_. Maybe even make it a small annual fee
instead.
Cheers!
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