Re: Shareware on the i - Need some opinions....

Adam Glauser wrote:

Pete, given your previous posts regarding open source software (OSS), I presume you don't mean to imply that OSS is less secure (in the computer security sense) than proprietary software. Do you mean that companies can be secure in their decision to use commercial software because it is more familiar, usually comes with a support contract, and in some cases "there is someone to sue" if something goes horribly wrong?

Correct. And thanks for offering the clarification. On a network/application security level, there is no difference in OSS vs proprietary software. In fact, there is some argument that OSS is *more* secure, for a variety of reasons. No, what I was referring to was in terms of confidence that the software will perform as advertised and be supported and will gain the approval of the "powers that be". I understand that people's jobs are on the line based on the software choices they make. Since OSS is "new" in the i world, it is natural that people would not trust what they do not know. In fact, that is why I, and Scott Klement, Aaron Bartell, Jon Paris and others beat the drum for OSS adoption: To take the "newness" and uncertainty out of the equation.

Shareware is an interesting niche in the SW world. I am just not sure there is enough of a compelling reason for it to gain much of a following.

Pete