Re: OT: I need some quotes or tips for magazine article

[Si Chen-2]

Hi Walter,

You caught me at a good time for this one...  Here are some comments  
based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style, these are some  
things I could tell you:

At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order  
entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some  
manufacturing, and basic financials around those.  We will eventually  
end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and commercial packages  
which were somehow "integrated" together.

The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were:
- Superior technology
- Lower cost
- Greater flexibility

Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the time,  
although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of mid-tier  
commercial software users because of all the consolidation going on.

Our feeling originally was that many of the small business packages  
were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our business grew  
and changed, they would not be able to keep up with growing volume or  
with completely new business needs.  For example, if we got a package  
which was meant for mail order catalogs but later wanted to do more  
manufacturing, retail, or services, we'd be pretty much out of luck.

Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a  
highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous  
flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a fraction of  
the cost of a comparable commercial package.  We've also made  
significant investments, both in learning about the project and  
contributing to its development, but we feel overall it has been more  
than justified.

I believe that the people who are most successful with open source  
software are these traits:

1.  A true understanding of what open source software brings to the  
table.  Some people hope that open source software is either free as  
in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software on a price/
feature basis, but both of these miss the point.  Open source  
business applications give you the freedom to build a platform on  
which to build you business and control your destiny in a way that  
commercial software never could.

2.  A willingness to embrace and engage the community.  I think the  
biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software and  
then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep everything  
as their own.  At best they achieve their limited original objectives  
but end up cutting themselves off from the continuing innovation of  
the community.  More often than not, though, they simply don't even  
get that far, because they're not tapping into the tremendous  
knowledge and insights behind the software.

Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get  
help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute back  
to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most successful  
with it.  Open source is successful because of collaboration, and we  
can succeed together or fail on our own here.

3.  An ability to understand technology and manage its risks.  People  
who are most successful with open source software are comfortable  
with and interested in technology, want to be in control of their own  
technology future, and know how to manage possible risks should they  
arise.  Conversely, people who can't or don't want to understand  
technology and want to let a well-known software vendor decide for  
them typically can't ever get comfortable with the idea of open  
source software.

I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the  
software/technology business.  I'm just a ______."  The perverse  
thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business these  
days.  Think about your corner used bookstore, your local antique  
shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section.  Don't they  
compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist?  If they're not in the  
technology business, will they be in business?

Have a great weekend :)

Si


On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote:

> I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News
> http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004
> that will revolve around using open source software in small and  
> medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success  
> stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til  
> Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday....
>
> Thanks
>
> --
> Walter

[David E Jones-2]

Si,

This is a great set of comments, and a good description of what makes  
organizations successful when dealing directly with a project like  
OFBiz.

Would you be interested in posting these comments, or some like them,  
on the ofbiz site?

-David


On Sep 9, 2006, at 3:12 PM, Si Chen wrote:

> Hi Walter,
>
> You caught me at a good time for this one...  Here are some  
> comments based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style,  
> these are some things I could tell you:
>
> At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order  
> entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some  
> manufacturing, and basic financials around those.  We will  
> eventually end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and  
> commercial packages which were somehow "integrated" together.
>
> The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were:
> - Superior technology
> - Lower cost
> - Greater flexibility
>
> Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the  
> time, although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of  
> mid-tier commercial software users because of all the consolidation  
> going on.
>
> Our feeling originally was that many of the small business packages  
> were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our business  
> grew and changed, they would not be able to keep up with growing  
> volume or with completely new business needs.  For example, if we  
> got a package which was meant for mail order catalogs but later  
> wanted to do more manufacturing, retail, or services, we'd be  
> pretty much out of luck.
>
> Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a  
> highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous  
> flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a fraction  
> of the cost of a comparable commercial package.  We've also made  
> significant investments, both in learning about the project and  
> contributing to its development, but we feel overall it has been  
> more than justified.
>
> I believe that the people who are most successful with open source  
> software are these traits:
>
> 1.  A true understanding of what open source software brings to the  
> table.  Some people hope that open source software is either free  
> as in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software on a  
> price/feature basis, but both of these miss the point.  Open source  
> business applications give you the freedom to build a platform on  
> which to build you business and control your destiny in a way that  
> commercial software never could.
>
> 2.  A willingness to embrace and engage the community.  I think the  
> biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software and  
> then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep everything  
> as their own.  At best they achieve their limited original  
> objectives but end up cutting themselves off from the continuing  
> innovation of the community.  More often than not, though, they  
> simply don't even get that far, because they're not tapping into  
> the tremendous knowledge and insights behind the software.
>
> Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get  
> help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute  
> back to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most  
> successful with it.  Open source is successful because of  
> collaboration, and we can succeed together or fail on our own here.
>
> 3.  An ability to understand technology and manage its risks.  
> People who are most successful with open source software are  
> comfortable with and interested in technology, want to be in  
> control of their own technology future, and know how to manage  
> possible risks should they arise.  Conversely, people who can't or  
> don't want to understand technology and want to let a well-known  
> software vendor decide for them typically can't ever get  
> comfortable with the idea of open source software.
>
> I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the  
> software/technology business.  I'm just a ______."  The perverse  
> thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business these  
> days.  Think about your corner used bookstore, your local antique  
> shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section.  Don't  
> they compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist?  If they're not  
> in the technology business, will they be in business?
>
> Have a great weekend :)
>
> Si
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote:
>
>> I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News
>> http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004
>> that will revolve around using open source software in small and  
>> medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success  
>> stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til  
>> Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday....
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> --
>> Walter
>

[Jacques Le Roux]

Si,

Very interesting and well explained !
If you agree, I hope to translate this in french for a site on OFBiz I hope to do some days.
Of course this would remain a quote.
One more time, thanks for sharing your experience.

Jacques

----- Original Message -----
From: "Si Chen" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 11:12 PM
Subject: Re: OT: I need some quotes or tips for magazine article

> Hi Walter,
>
> You caught me at a good time for this one...  Here are some comments  
> based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style, these are some  
> things I could tell you:
>
> At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order  
> entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some  
> manufacturing, and basic financials around those.  We will eventually  
> end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and commercial packages  
> which were somehow "integrated" together.
>
> The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were:
> - Superior technology
> - Lower cost
> - Greater flexibility
>
> Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the time,  
> although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of mid-tier  
> commercial software users because of all the consolidation going on.
>
> Our feeling originally was that many of the small business packages  
> were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our business grew  
> and changed, they would not be able to keep up with growing volume or  
> with completely new business needs.  For example, if we got a package  
> which was meant for mail order catalogs but later wanted to do more  
> manufacturing, retail, or services, we'd be pretty much out of luck.
>
> Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a  
> highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous  
> flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a fraction of  
> the cost of a comparable commercial package.  We've also made  
> significant investments, both in learning about the project and  
> contributing to its development, but we feel overall it has been more  
> than justified.
>
> I believe that the people who are most successful with open source  
> software are these traits:
>
> 1.  A true understanding of what open source software brings to the  
> table.  Some people hope that open source software is either free as  
> in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software on a price/
> feature basis, but both of these miss the point.  Open source  
> business applications give you the freedom to build a platform on  
> which to build you business and control your destiny in a way that  
> commercial software never could.
>
> 2.  A willingness to embrace and engage the community.  I think the  
> biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software and  
> then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep everything  
> as their own.  At best they achieve their limited original objectives  
> but end up cutting themselves off from the continuing innovation of  
> the community.  More often than not, though, they simply don't even  
> get that far, because they're not tapping into the tremendous  
> knowledge and insights behind the software.
>
> Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get  
> help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute back  
> to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most successful  
> with it.  Open source is successful because of collaboration, and we  
> can succeed together or fail on our own here.
>
> 3.  An ability to understand technology and manage its risks.  People  
> who are most successful with open source software are comfortable  
> with and interested in technology, want to be in control of their own  
> technology future, and know how to manage possible risks should they  
> arise.  Conversely, people who can't or don't want to understand  
> technology and want to let a well-known software vendor decide for  
> them typically can't ever get comfortable with the idea of open  
> source software.
>
> I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the  
> software/technology business.  I'm just a ______."  The perverse  
> thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business these  
> days.  Think about your corner used bookstore, your local antique  
> shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section.  Don't they  
> compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist?  If they're not in the  
> technology business, will they be in business?
>
> Have a great weekend :)
>
> Si
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote:
>
> > I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News
> > http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004
> > that will revolve around using open source software in small and  
> > medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success  
> > stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til  
> > Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday....
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > --
> > Walter

[Si Chen-2]

Jacques,

Of course, that'd be great.

Si


On Sep 10, 2006, at 1:53 AM, Jacques Le Roux wrote:

> Si,
>
> Very interesting and well explained !
> If you agree, I hope to translate this in french for a site on  
> OFBiz I hope to do some days.
> Of course this would remain a quote.
> One more time, thanks for sharing your experience.
>
> Jacques
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Si Chen" <[hidden email]>
> To: <[hidden email]>
> Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 11:12 PM
> Subject: Re: OT: I need some quotes or tips for magazine article
>
>
>> Hi Walter,
>>
>> You caught me at a good time for this one...  Here are some comments
>> based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style, these are some
>> things I could tell you:
>>
>> At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order
>> entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some
>> manufacturing, and basic financials around those.  We will eventually
>> end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and commercial packages
>> which were somehow "integrated" together.
>>
>> The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were:
>> - Superior technology
>> - Lower cost
>> - Greater flexibility
>>
>> Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the time,
>> although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of mid-tier
>> commercial software users because of all the consolidation going on.
>>
>> Our feeling originally was that many of the small business packages
>> were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our business grew
>> and changed, they would not be able to keep up with growing volume or
>> with completely new business needs.  For example, if we got a package
>> which was meant for mail order catalogs but later wanted to do more
>> manufacturing, retail, or services, we'd be pretty much out of luck.
>>
>> Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a
>> highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous
>> flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a fraction of
>> the cost of a comparable commercial package.  We've also made
>> significant investments, both in learning about the project and
>> contributing to its development, but we feel overall it has been more
>> than justified.
>>
>> I believe that the people who are most successful with open source
>> software are these traits:
>>
>> 1.  A true understanding of what open source software brings to the
>> table.  Some people hope that open source software is either free as
>> in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software on a price/
>> feature basis, but both of these miss the point.  Open source
>> business applications give you the freedom to build a platform on
>> which to build you business and control your destiny in a way that
>> commercial software never could.
>>
>> 2.  A willingness to embrace and engage the community.  I think the
>> biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software and
>> then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep everything
>> as their own.  At best they achieve their limited original objectives
>> but end up cutting themselves off from the continuing innovation of
>> the community.  More often than not, though, they simply don't even
>> get that far, because they're not tapping into the tremendous
>> knowledge and insights behind the software.
>>
>> Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get
>> help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute back
>> to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most successful
>> with it.  Open source is successful because of collaboration, and we
>> can succeed together or fail on our own here.
>>
>> 3.  An ability to understand technology and manage its risks.  People
>> who are most successful with open source software are comfortable
>> with and interested in technology, want to be in control of their own
>> technology future, and know how to manage possible risks should they
>> arise.  Conversely, people who can't or don't want to understand
>> technology and want to let a well-known software vendor decide for
>> them typically can't ever get comfortable with the idea of open
>> source software.
>>
>> I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the
>> software/technology business.  I'm just a ______."  The perverse
>> thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business these
>> days.  Think about your corner used bookstore, your local antique
>> shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section.  Don't they
>> compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist?  If they're not in the
>> technology business, will they be in business?
>>
>> Have a great weekend :)
>>
>> Si
>>
>>
>> On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote:
>>
>>> I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News
>>> http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004
>>> that will revolve around using open source software in small and
>>> medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success
>>> stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til
>>> Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday....
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> --
>>> Walter

[Si Chen-2]

David,

Sure, I'd be happy to post any of this on the ofbiz site.  What do  
you like?  Should I do some of it?

Si


On Sep 9, 2006, at 11:54 PM, David E Jones wrote:

>
> Si,
>
> This is a great set of comments, and a good description of what  
> makes organizations successful when dealing directly with a project  
> like OFBiz.
>
> Would you be interested in posting these comments, or some like  
> them, on the ofbiz site?
>
> -David
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2006, at 3:12 PM, Si Chen wrote:
>
>> Hi Walter,
>>
>> You caught me at a good time for this one...  Here are some  
>> comments based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style,  
>> these are some things I could tell you:
>>
>> At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order  
>> entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some  
>> manufacturing, and basic financials around those.  We will  
>> eventually end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and  
>> commercial packages which were somehow "integrated" together.
>>
>> The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were:
>> - Superior technology
>> - Lower cost
>> - Greater flexibility
>>
>> Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the  
>> time, although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of  
>> mid-tier commercial software users because of all the  
>> consolidation going on.
>>
>> Our feeling originally was that many of the small business  
>> packages were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our  
>> business grew and changed, they would not be able to keep up with  
>> growing volume or with completely new business needs.  For  
>> example, if we got a package which was meant for mail order  
>> catalogs but later wanted to do more manufacturing, retail, or  
>> services, we'd be pretty much out of luck.
>>
>> Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a  
>> highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous  
>> flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a fraction  
>> of the cost of a comparable commercial package.  We've also made  
>> significant investments, both in learning about the project and  
>> contributing to its development, but we feel overall it has been  
>> more than justified.
>>
>> I believe that the people who are most successful with open source  
>> software are these traits:
>>
>> 1.  A true understanding of what open source software brings to  
>> the table.  Some people hope that open source software is either  
>> free as in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software  
>> on a price/feature basis, but both of these miss the point.  Open  
>> source business applications give you the freedom to build a  
>> platform on which to build you business and control your destiny  
>> in a way that commercial software never could.
>>
>> 2.  A willingness to embrace and engage the community.  I think  
>> the biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software  
>> and then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep  
>> everything as their own.  At best they achieve their limited  
>> original objectives but end up cutting themselves off from the  
>> continuing innovation of the community.  More often than not,  
>> though, they simply don't even get that far, because they're not  
>> tapping into the tremendous knowledge and insights behind the  
>> software.
>>
>> Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get  
>> help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute  
>> back to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most  
>> successful with it.  Open source is successful because of  
>> collaboration, and we can succeed together or fail on our own here.
>>
>> 3.  An ability to understand technology and manage its risks.  
>> People who are most successful with open source software are  
>> comfortable with and interested in technology, want to be in  
>> control of their own technology future, and know how to manage  
>> possible risks should they arise.  Conversely, people who can't or  
>> don't want to understand technology and want to let a well-known  
>> software vendor decide for them typically can't ever get  
>> comfortable with the idea of open source software.
>>
>> I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the  
>> software/technology business.  I'm just a ______."  The perverse  
>> thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business these  
>> days.  Think about your corner used bookstore, your local antique  
>> shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section.  Don't  
>> they compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist?  If they're not  
>> in the technology business, will they be in business?
>>
>> Have a great weekend :)
>>
>> Si
>>
>>
>> On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote:
>>
>>> I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News
>>> http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004
>>> that will revolve around using open source software in small and  
>>> medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success  
>>> stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til  
>>> Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday....
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> --
>>> Walter
>>

[David E Jones-2]

Si,

This is almost long enough to go in a white paper style PDF,  
especially if this is an excerpt from something else you've put  
together.

Whatever the case, this would be great to put on the marketing page  
either all of it or excerpts with a link to another page or a PDF  
with the rest.

I guess you have permission to commit to the marketing page and such  
in the site directory, so if you'd like go ahead and add it there and  
I'll get the web site updated. If you're short on time feel free to  
just send over the text and I'll work it into the page and get it in.

-David


On Sep 11, 2006, at 12:03 PM, Si Chen wrote:

> David,
>
> Sure, I'd be happy to post any of this on the ofbiz site.  What do  
> you like?  Should I do some of it?
>
> Si
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2006, at 11:54 PM, David E Jones wrote:
>
>>
>> Si,
>>
>> This is a great set of comments, and a good description of what  
>> makes organizations successful when dealing directly with a  
>> project like OFBiz.
>>
>> Would you be interested in posting these comments, or some like  
>> them, on the ofbiz site?
>>
>> -David
>>
>>
>> On Sep 9, 2006, at 3:12 PM, Si Chen wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Walter,
>>>
>>> You caught me at a good time for this one...  Here are some  
>>> comments based on our experience using OFBiz at Gracious Style,  
>>> these are some things I could tell you:
>>>
>>> At this point we're using opentaps/OFBiz for online sales, order  
>>> entry, inventory, warehouse, shipping and fulfillment, some  
>>> manufacturing, and basic financials around those.  We will  
>>> eventually end up replacing about half a dozen homegrown and  
>>> commercial packages which were somehow "integrated" together.
>>>
>>> The reason we originally went with the solution as a user were:
>>> - Superior technology
>>> - Lower cost
>>> - Greater flexibility
>>>
>>> Vendor lock-in was actually not something we understood at the  
>>> time, although now it seems to be a serious problem for a lot of  
>>> mid-tier commercial software users because of all the  
>>> consolidation going on.
>>>
>>> Our feeling originally was that many of the small business  
>>> packages were lightweight and highly inflexible, so that as our  
>>> business grew and changed, they would not be able to keep up with  
>>> growing volume or with completely new business needs.  For  
>>> example, if we got a package which was meant for mail order  
>>> catalogs but later wanted to do more manufacturing, retail, or  
>>> services, we'd be pretty much out of luck.
>>>
>>> Overall, we feel we've gotten exactly what we were looking for--a  
>>> highly technologically sophisticated package with tremendous  
>>> flexibility to support unique and new business needs at a  
>>> fraction of the cost of a comparable commercial package.  We've  
>>> also made significant investments, both in learning about the  
>>> project and contributing to its development, but we feel overall  
>>> it has been more than justified.
>>>
>>> I believe that the people who are most successful with open  
>>> source software are these traits:
>>>
>>> 1.  A true understanding of what open source software brings to  
>>> the table.  Some people hope that open source software is either  
>>> free as in "without cost" or compare it with commercial software  
>>> on a price/feature basis, but both of these miss the point.  Open  
>>> source business applications give you the freedom to build a  
>>> platform on which to build you business and control your destiny  
>>> in a way that commercial software never could.
>>>
>>> 2.  A willingness to embrace and engage the community.  I think  
>>> the biggest mistake I've seen is people who download the software  
>>> and then go off on their own to try to make it work and keep  
>>> everything as their own.  At best they achieve their limited  
>>> original objectives but end up cutting themselves off from the  
>>> continuing innovation of the community.  More often than not,  
>>> though, they simply don't even get that far, because they're not  
>>> tapping into the tremendous knowledge and insights behind the  
>>> software.
>>>
>>> Conversely, people who become part of the community, learn to get  
>>> help from other members of the community, and in turn contribute  
>>> back to help the community are ultimately the ones who are most  
>>> successful with it.  Open source is successful because of  
>>> collaboration, and we can succeed together or fail on our own here.
>>>
>>> 3.  An ability to understand technology and manage its risks.  
>>> People who are most successful with open source software are  
>>> comfortable with and interested in technology, want to be in  
>>> control of their own technology future, and know how to manage  
>>> possible risks should they arise.  Conversely, people who can't  
>>> or don't want to understand technology and want to let a well-
>>> known software vendor decide for them typically can't ever get  
>>> comfortable with the idea of open source software.
>>>
>>> I've often heard people turn away saying "I don't want in the  
>>> software/technology business.  I'm just a ______."  The perverse  
>>> thing, however, is that we're all in the technology business  
>>> these days.  Think about your corner used bookstore, your local  
>>> antique shop, and your newspaper classified advertising section.  
>>> Don't they compete against Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist?  If  
>>> they're not in the technology business, will they be in business?
>>>
>>> Have a great weekend :)
>>>
>>> Si
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 9, 2006, at 8:30 AM, Walter Vaughan wrote:
>>>
>>>> I am writing an article for the November issue of SEMA News
>>>> http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=1004
>>>> that will revolve around using open source software in small and  
>>>> medium sized companies. I would appreciate any tips or success  
>>>> stories before Monday evening. I didn't get the go ahead 'til  
>>>> Thursday night, and it's due Tuesday....
>>>>
>>>> Thanks
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Walter
>>>
>