Enough about Open Source already! I know this is flameworthy, but am I the only one who thinks that Open Source is a complete waste of time?
I work in a cheap organization. We got audited by Microsoft back in 2000 (and had to pay alot of money because we didn't have physical licenses for many seats of Windows 98). Ever since then the IT staff is on an anti-Microsoft crusade. I am the only one who uses .Net. Using open source is encouraged.
Well, maybe you have had the same experience as I have had, it goes something like this:
1. Look for open source on the net.
2. Download open source product.
3. This results in one of the following:
a. I have to build the code, often from the command line.
b. The code is incomplete or "not finished" yet.
c. There is little or no documentation. If there is documentation it is written in fragmented English.
d. If I ever get the code or product to work, it is usually not what I thought I was getting, it is slower than molasses.
I am sure there are open source success stories (apache, Dot Net Nuke), but what is the percentage of success? (< 5%). And Dot Net Nuke is really slow.
How can CIO's and organizations justify the extra time spent trying to figure out, setup, and maintain the product? The TCO cannot be reasonable.