[LINK] IBM gets hip with 'cool' Ubuntu PC deal

[Marghanita da Cruz]

David Lochrin wrote:
> On Thursday 07 August 2008 10:11, Brenda Aynsley wrote:
>> ah peter, and others, I think the thing I like about Symphony is the
>> terrific online help that's available which unlike openoffice means
>> people 'could' solve their own problem and manage their own learning
>> with Symphony much more easily than with openoffice.
>>
>> I'd actually be interested, perhaps off list peter, hearing why you
>> think its not a good product?
> 
>    I'm interested in Peter's response - Peter, would you please copy Link?
> 
<snip>

from:<http://www.linux.com/feature/137876>
> Now it's IBM, which has taken old OpenOffice.org code under the now-retired Sun Industry Standards Source License and released it as a proprietary closed source freeware office suite. The first stable release of IBM Lotus Symphony, released last week, has no obvious advantages over OpenOffice.org. The suite is targeted at enterprise customers, at the expense of free and open source alternatives.
....

> The final giveaway of Symphony's enterprise ambitions came a few days after the software's May release, when IBM announced its plan to sell help desk services for the office suite. If you can't find your way around the Lotus Symphony suite of a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software, despite the free, extensive built-in help and online forums, IBM will help you do so for $25,000 a year. I'm not sure how many organizations, let alone individuals, will care to part with that kind of cash to support easy-to-use apps.

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au
Phone: (+61)0414 869202