Hello Joep,
Thank you for your reply.
I am happy to say I had the privilege to in business visit your very
beautiful and interesting country - and especially Amsterdam - some
times very, very many years ago.
I am also retired since ten years back and used to work on manager level
in some companies mostly in metal industry, planning and delivering
plants.
But not IT, I am an IT consumer since early 1980 - so you surely know
that IT field from 'inside' better than me but I know quite well the
decision making in my former environments.
I have for years been very well aware of all what you say about MS's
behavior and marketing policy - I agree with you completely and do
dislike the situation as much as you.
In many (most) companies/organizations (other than IT) the managers have
quite little own knowledge in IT why they do not have many alternatives:
they have to buy the IT from outside (more or less) experts or build up
a IT-dept of their own. In both cases they have to rely on other
people's knowhow and recommendations.
And if all (95% ?) your important contacts, customers, officials,
private, etc. use Windows, and all of your own staff know (only)
Windows/MSO then the economic calculation says that you must "talk the
same language" -- you can not afford anything else.
I strongly disagree with you about Jay's and Wolfgang' s behavior - take
a look at my parallel post "MS problems" some minutes earlier.
If these managers concentrate on their own jobs - and buy the IT - it
does not qualify them to be called "IT-illiteral morons" as Jay and
Wolfgang did.
In 30 years I have had no problems (!) with the Windows' programs (the
cost are a relative matter), but from January this year when installing
LibO I have had too much problems with Base (and Calc) - and according
to this list there are a lot of others having real problems with LibO
too.
In my opinion there is only one way for LibO: to become in every way
better than MSO especially for ordinary private users, user friendly,
stable, reliable, free of bugs and problems. These will then make it
easier for companies to convert to OpenSource/LibO.
Best regards
Pertti Rönnberg (Finland)
The End!