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That said, if you lean towards economics and like to think about the long-term costs of open source software, you may have brought to mind the old adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”. (Or, as it is commonly used to compare with open source, a Free Beer.) Open source software rarely comes with the technical support and warranty services that proprietary software provides. So while you may not pay upfront now, the expenses for the software maintenance and upkeep may accumulate and charge you in the future.

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Anyone get any support from the commercial firms like microsloth?

Even in large organizations it’s a joke.

Unless your contract is up for renewal. The you are up to your in SEs, AEs, VPs, and unnamed executives.

Open Source usually has an interested community who is actually interested in your issues.

Some of my BEST support experiences have been from “Open Source”, “Free Software” communities.

I’m not sure how to harness it. But if I ever do, Bill Gates move over. The neighborhood’s getting a double wide.

******