M
Martha Anne Putzke
Be aware of the potential problems:
a.. Lack of Formal Technical Support. Although open source communities are
normally helpful, most software lacks formal technical support. Fees may be
charged for training and tutorials. Don't complain, take action. You're part
of the solution. It's important to share your concerns, ideas, and solutions
with other users and developers through forums. Use software discussion
forums to search for answers to problems, error messages, and issues.
b.. Disappearing Apps. Once the development community is gone, support and
upgrades are lost.
c.. Lack of Features/Standards. Not all packages meet specific,
specialized needs.
d.. Lack of Packaging. Software lacks traditional packaging and hard copy
support.
e.. User-Friendly Limits. Some software requires more learn time or skills
to use and maintain than traditional software.
f.. Compatibility. Most open source supports open source file types, but
may not support proprietary file types. Open File Formats
a.. HTML - web pages
b.. PDF - portable document format
c.. RTF - formatted text
d.. TXT - plain text
e.. PNG - graphics
f.. MNG - movies, based on PNG
g.. OGG - container format
a.. Lack of Formal Technical Support. Although open source communities are
normally helpful, most software lacks formal technical support. Fees may be
charged for training and tutorials. Don't complain, take action. You're part
of the solution. It's important to share your concerns, ideas, and solutions
with other users and developers through forums. Use software discussion
forums to search for answers to problems, error messages, and issues.
b.. Disappearing Apps. Once the development community is gone, support and
upgrades are lost.
c.. Lack of Features/Standards. Not all packages meet specific,
specialized needs.
d.. Lack of Packaging. Software lacks traditional packaging and hard copy
support.
e.. User-Friendly Limits. Some software requires more learn time or skills
to use and maintain than traditional software.
f.. Compatibility. Most open source supports open source file types, but
may not support proprietary file types. Open File Formats
a.. HTML - web pages
b.. PDF - portable document format
c.. RTF - formatted text
d.. TXT - plain text
e.. PNG - graphics
f.. MNG - movies, based on PNG
g.. OGG - container format