Re: [tdf-discuss] MS Outlook?

On 15/02/2012, Robert Derman <robert.derman@pressenter.com> wrote:
> >
> You have to excuse me for saying this, I have used OpenOffice since it
> was first released to the public (I loved OO Writer, and I like LO
> Writer even more) and I am a big fan of open source software, BUT there
> is an attitude in the general open source community that users should
> work around the fact that open source software solutions are not, and
> perhaps should not be totally integrated.  As long as this attitude
> persists the corporate world will NEVER go to open source for their day
> to day software needs.  MS, Oracle, Adobe and other corporate software
> providers do and always will pander to this desire for fully integrated
> solutions.
A more accurate statement would be that the open source community
adopts the approach traditional to UNIX, that software programs should
do single, individual tasks to very high standard. In addition, the
user is given _choice_ about what functions are to be integrated, for
example, user wants a hyperlink in a mail message to open in a web
browser. The user is free to specify in the mail client configuration
options_which_ web browser should be chosen.

Due to an increased appreciation of the risks of integration as
determined by the vendor (security), it could be argued that corporate
world recognises the benefit of the open source model.

> Many of us, myself included have no need for this degree of software
> integration.  However for anyone who does, all I can say is scrape
> together the exorbitant price for M$ Office and buy it.  You will get
> the full integration that you desire.  Forget about open source
> software, at least for the foreseeable future it will not provide what
> you seem to be looking for.
Whilst it is appropriate to tell m$ fans to continue paying for the m$
business model (instead of asking free software to adopt the m$
mentality, for free!!!), it should be stated that "integration" can
still be achieved via open source software, although not be a single
vendor but a range of vendors using open standards to achieve the
ability to perform multiple actions analogous to "integration".

To answer the question, an example each to consider: for calendar, use
sunbird; tasks, mr project (or maybe a simple text editor with outline
functionality?); contacts, zimbra.
> I am not a big fan of M$ software, but there is one thing they do that I
> like, they send out patches that are small and only change the part of a
> large program that needs to be changed.  They don't insist that you
> download and install a whole new copy of it.  That is also why I won't
> upgrade my copy of LO until version 4.0 comes along.  Or until they
> announce that the next version incorporates some feature that I REALLY
> want.
Patches seems to make software more inherently susceptible to bugs? I
don't upgrade because of no interest in the constant upgrade culture
that open source programmers seek to promote (i.e. users as free
testers!). Changing software every three/four years has been adequate
for most personal needs.

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