Darkelve Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 (edited) I came across an ad banner for these 'product's: 1. http://www.freeofficesoftware.net/ 2. http://www.freeofficesoftware.net/gamedetail.htm The first one is clearly openoffice, the secons one is clearly Linux/OSS games. But the product name 'openoffice' has been banned from the info. My question: good thing, bad thing, or both? Edited April 17, 2004 by Darkelve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyv Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 It says you can download it for free at openoffice.org in the faq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Good thing definitely. It's also a good business tactic, I think. you notice they also offer website and other IT consultancy services. One of the offputting things about linux is having to download everything and do it your self. The same with open office. That may sound daft to you but if you are relatively new to using a computer extensively it is rather daunting, especially if you are a small business user and don't want to hurt your precious computer. Also I find most "computer comsultants" want to sign you up to maintenance contracts, which however necessary at the beginning feels like money being laid out for an uncertain benefit. You dfon't appreciate the necessuty until ine day your computer goes blamk just when you reall need it.If on the other hand someone hands you a free office suite to try that is as good as if not better than microsoft and also offers all those kinds of services, when your business is at the point where you need those kinds of things where will you go? My route to linux was via the office suite, One of my clients suggested I try linux, I did some research bought the mandrake box set-because I didn't want to download being relatively new to this, got it working on an old computer that had utterly failed with windows, read about open office/star office bought star office and now use it exclusively. I would actually still be wary of downloading extensively but that's me. I will download things like mozilla and guess what I am using now instead of IE explorer. Now if someone had handed me an office suite free like open office to try would I be interested in doing further business? I am now at the point where I will need a seperate server and am looking in to web sites, but frankly thanks to early experience of the "microsoft consultant" I would less likely to proceed be untrusting of most of them as rip of merchants. Especially the ones that tell you linux is just another type of software. For someone purporting to be a computer consultant not to be aware of linux suggests to me they are not really interested in what they do, worse, if they do then assuming a potential customer asking about linux doesn't really know and can be easily dissuaded is arrogance of the worse kind. It's an old adage in sales if someone asks about a prodict it is a buying signal, dismissig the question out of hand is a sure sales loser, answer the question then sell them yours. You average customer is ill informed not stupid. So if anyone reading this is trying to get in the small business market think of it as business aikido. Work out what the client wants to do, start moving him in the direction you want him to go and when he is moving throw him the way you want. But you will do it by offering good service, not product. Nobody buys a good operating system, they buy what it does. The free office suite offer is a brilliant lose leader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkelve Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 So if anyone reading this is trying to get in the small business market think of it as business aikido. Work out what the client wants to do, start moving him in the direction you want him to go and when he is moving throw him the way you want. But you will do it by offering good service, not product. Nobody buys a good operating system, they buy what it does. The free office suite offer is a brilliant lose leader. Gmac, I like your simple (even if a bit over-generalized) explanation of Aikido :P Also, I think you mean 'loss leader'? But I found your discourse about the business model very informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 "Also, I think you mean 'loss leader'?" I did. I can spell, I can type its the two together that cause me problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkelve Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 (edited) "Also, I think you mean 'loss leader'?" I did. I can spell, I can type its the two together that cause me problems. I never said you couldn't spell :P I just thought perhaps English was a foreign language to you. And it's not like I never make mistakes Edited April 18, 2004 by Darkelve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/...1194092,00.html Go for the office suites. "I just thought perhaps English was a foreign language to you. And it's not like I never make mistakes" Jings, crivens help me boab! Nae laddie it's no a foreign language ye ken I jist talk wi a funny accent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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