The new Microsoft Subnet area, as expected, leans strongly toward all things Microsoft. However, explaining why Microsoft products have value can be done with at least some level of civility. One needn’t proclaim “some formerly relevant weekly glossies have been touting the open source office productivity applications as the second coming…Are they crazy?” just because one feels Microsoft Office is worth hundreds of dollars more than the price of OpenOffice 2.2 (free). In this case, my comments about Open Source make Network World such a weekly glossy. Saying, “And open source donkeys fall in line, proclaiming it as gospel,” just degrades to inconsiderate name calling for no reason. I don’t consider myself a donkey, but I do consider myself a fan of Open Source Software. After an automatic Windows update clobbered my video drivers last year, I reinstalled Windows XP but not Microsoft Office. I’ve since written hundreds of documents and
sent them to people in all walks of life, including magazine editors and PTA members and children. Not one person had a problem with the documents created in OpenOffice. I used OpenOffice Impress to create presentations for speeches, and saved the files in PPT format. No one watching the presentations knew the difference. I used the PowerPoint template provided by the conference with no problem at all. 80 percent of Office users never approach using 20 percent of Office features. Why pay hundreds for people making simple documents and basic spreadsheets? Following the 80/20 rule even more, I firmly believe most small businesses can put OpenOffice on 80 percent of user desktops with no problems, and save Windows and Office for the 20 percent who may need the special features. Applications are tools. If you need a left-handed cross-threader with a bi-lateral bit, get one. If you need a hammer, just about any old hammer will do. Save money on the hammers, and spend money on the tools that make sense. But don’t give a person a left-handed cross-threader with a bi-lateral bit if all they need is a hammer.
