Re: [OT] Re: Troll Tech [was Re: Sco vs. IBM]

[Alan Cox]

On Llu, 2003-06-23 at 17:11, Henning P. Schmiedehausen wrote:
> SAP is doing exactly what Scott is doing on a little larger base. They
> have a product with a bazillion of levers and controls and they sell
> you services to adapt their product on your needs. Things you could do
> yourself if you have five years' time to read all the manuals.
> 
> So your argument simply doesn't hold. SAP is not exactly a "small
> custom shop".

And lots of stuff that is *far* easier to operate and reliable has
active support companies for a variety of reasons. Its cost effective to
aggregate knowledge for example. Not every house has its own plumber,
electrician and painter for the same reasons.

I know people who support TeX profitably. So the support business works
for software that basically has no bugs. 

Alan