RE: OSS (was RE: Green screen - it's time is over/CODE/400 ) -- MIDRANGE-L

Peter,

Nice to "meet" ya...

I've known one or two pretty good size ISVs that do NO customization of
their code.  (Don't recall, but I thin they still provided sourced for their
customers to modify).  Don't recall the companies, for sure.

One POS vendor, I do recall, said that when a customer has a good idea, they
fold it into their package.  Very sound approach, IMV.  If it's a package
has a big enough customer-base, and their's had one.. a change one customer
wants is almost certainly going to be useful to another customer anyway.  I
think they would work out some kind of cost-sharing.  We didn't go with the
vendor, so have no actual experience.

IIRC, MMS may have had a similar approach.

<aside re: MMS>

Looked at them back in '91.  They're a very sophisticated, specialized
package that handles the complexities involved in solving
Merchandising/Distribution/Allocation issues in Retail.  Principles name was
Chuck somebody.  VERY knowledgable.  Seemed like good folks, though we
didn't end up going with them.  Didn't know if anyone was in the market for
something along these lines, just but thought I'd mention them.  (They're
out of Indianapolis, BTW).

</aside>

Thanks for writing, Peter.  Don't recall particulars (IIRC, you ran for
COMMON...??) but I've seen many knowledgable posts in the past, so sort-of
already "met" you...;-)

jt

<aside>


> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
> [mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Peter Dow
> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 11:07 AM
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: OSS (was RE: Green screen - it's time is over/CODE/400 )
>
>
> Hi Tom, jt,
>
> Actually, it does happen.  I work a lot with SMS's Med Series 4 software,
> and they do incorporate fixes and enhancements from their customers on
> occasion.
>
> Peter Dow
> Dow Software Services, Inc.
> 909 425-0194 voice
> 909 425-0196 fax
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <thomas@inorbit.com>
> Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 10:57 PM
> Subject: OSS (was RE: Green screen - it's time is over/CODE/400 )
>
>
> jt:
>
> > What I'm also saying is that when you pay a vendor for a
> product, there's
> no
> > reason why that vendor COULDN'T accept patches from their
> users.  There's
> no
> > reason users COULDN'T submit patches, for the vendor to co-ordinate.
> Don't
> > see it happening, though.. I sure gotta admit that.
>
> True, sure. But it's also common that a package is bought (i.e., licensed)
> for big $$$ and then many mods are made to customize for the particular
> business. This is most often done without the benefit of any
> source code so
> the mods are one of a kind add-ons with little likelihood of actually
> affecting product direction. So in addition to paying the
> license, the cost
> of added code still shows up and possibly a greater cost than via OSS with
> benefit of original source and possibly a better fit again because of
> source.
>
> Tom Liotta
>
>
>
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