[asterisk-users] AGI pdf book

[Michael]

> Not entirely.  I've been trying for two years to get someone to work with
> my small Linux system.  One guy never had time to come.  I finally got
> someone out who was going to charge either $125 or $175 per hour (USD)
> depending on whether he decided it was a computer problem or a network
> problem (which is about twice what I charge for Embedded hardware and
> software development).  He spent an hour here and had to go to his next
> appointment.  My little Samba problem was beyond his ability to solve! 
> Fortunately, he realized that he hadn't done anything and didn't charge.

That sounds quite expensive.

The only way ahead I can see for FOSS to become widely used in business is to 
integrate it in to *commercial* solutions, where the client is buying a 
*commercial* product, complete with the "i's" dotted and the "t's" crossed, 
like Cisco or Avaya does.

And their solutions are expensive. The service is expensive. And guess what... 
the customer buys it!

Where the 'client' is using FOSS to save costs or for ideological reasons - 
this is where the headaches are for I.T. professionals. The clients more 
often then not are nerds, DIYers, running a business in a 'tight' industry 
(like Internet Service provision), or just simply not in a position to pay 
the bill. 

Sorry if this sounds overly cynical, but when 9/10 cases can be fitted in to 
this category, the other 1/10 does not make a good business case. Further 
more I have been in the industry for long enough to have heard the same 
flawed, unworkable, commercial non goer business schemes more then enough 
times over... I do not wish to have any involvement in yet another wireless 
ISP....