News Analysis: Computergram August 26 (fwd)

[Mark J Cox <ma...@ukweb.com>]

I was sent this recently; looks like someone got a little confused here!

Mark

>Subject: News Analysis: Computergram August 26
>Apparently-To: computergram@computerwire.com
>
>COMPUTERGRAM INTERNATIONAL: PUBLISHED: AUGUST 26 1996
>SECTION: NEWS ANALYSIS
>
>PURE AND ATRIA: TRUE LOVE WAITS
>YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR - BUILDING A WEB SITE WITH FREEWARE
>
... (various junk removed)
>	   Editorial e-mail use aine@computerwire.com
>		 Enquiries mark@computerwire.com
>	    not to be reproduced in whole or in part
>		   without written permission.
...
>+ YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR - BUILDING A WEB SITE WITH FREEWARE
>
>The Web vendor, Apache Digital Corp, is very different. Take a
>few moments to absorb the following. "Apache Digital
>Corporation is formed as a tool to be used by God to be a
>blessing to people, and to support the spread of the Gospel of
>Jesus Christ to all the nations of the earth. It is to be
>operated on the principles of God as laid out in the Bible. We
>have faith that Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, is more
>than capable of supplying all our needs; that Jehovah Nissi,
>the Lord our Victory, will fight all our battles for us; that
>Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace, will shoulder all of the
>burdens and pressures of daily operation; and that we will find
>favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man." It's
>special and won't appeal to everyone. But, hell, why not? The
>Web is an economic enigma. If Apache has God on the job, who
>are we to carp? The only thing on which almost everyone agrees
>is that benefits are variable, but establishing and running a
>Web site costs too much.
>
>                            The rub
>
>There are so many WebServer options that the most attractive
>one appears to be free. Superficially, the Linux-Apache
>combination, for example, costs nothing. Zero investment. But
>"Web servers should be revenue-generators, and business
>benefits should justify high set-up costs," says Eamonn
>Wilmott, formerly managing director of Internet Publishing Ltd,
>and now heading Online Magic Ltd, a consultancy and provider of
>Web services. "Properly implemented and managed, the Net makes
>significant inroads on IT expenditure." That's the rub. Web
>servers must be properly implemented and managed. At this point
>mainstream vendors claim an advantage for their products over
>freeware, saying that their Web servers are designed and
>maximized for long-term ownership, not just initial set-up
>costs. An Internet presence requires connections, hardware,
>security, administration, software and upgrades. Buying a
>bundled server from any of the big name suppliers is not cheap,
>but we know that all those issues are addressed by compreh
>ensive purchase and support contracts. Conversely, Linux
>freeware is very popular with those-who-know, but many people
>haven't heard of it. Something for nothing? Wilmott himself is
>ambivalent towards the freeware approach. Certainly all his Web
>development team uses Linux running on personal computers; its
>an inexpensive way to give a team of programmers their own Unix
>systems and there haven't been any complaints about its
>robustness. On the other hand, is freeware really the kind of
>thing you want to base your production systems on? Sybase Inc's
>Open Client/C for Linux is distributed via the Web for access
>to SQL Server on non-Linux systems. The small print makes
>interesting reading. "This port is unsupported, and does not
>include documentation."
>
>                        By Janice McGinn
>
>Sybase disclaims all warranties including merchantability,
>merchantable quality, non-infringement and fitness: "In no
>event shall Sybase be liable for loss of profits, data or any
>damages... even if Sybase has been advised of the possibility
>of such damages." Apart from ease of use and additional skills
>requirement, would you trust your business data to Linux,
>knowing that Sybase will distribute it even if it has been
>advised of potential risk and damages? Risk management is
>central to data pr ocessing. Without an assessment of risk and
>potential damage, arguments about cost savings fall by the way.
>Provenance, quality, maintainability and upgradability are
>important to business. If they are uncertain, the perceived
>risks undermine Linux' s credibility as a business tool. In
>general Wilmott believes that Linux and Apache are good options
>for smaller Web sites, but "for heavy duty commercial ventures
>a commercial offering is better" - if only for the support.
>Though it has to be said Wilmott's experience of support from
>one of the big Web server companies has left him distinctly
>unimpressed. Apache Digital Corp, apart from being a tool of
>God, is closely associated with Linux. It sells a variety of
>Linux and Berkeley Software Distribution-based systems and prid
>es itself on cost-effectiveness. Its Web site advertises a
>weekly sale, selling off systems like an Alpha Multimedia
>system under Linux for just short of $6,000. Apache claims
>Linux and Berkeley systems "are the best free Unix clones
>available. The advantage is that that price is almost
>exclusively for hardware, so that $500 to $2,000 normally spent
>on the operating system can be applied to the cost of the
>hardware." The fact remains that a cost advantage of $5 00, or
>$2,000, is pretty meaningless if the saving is outweighed by
>risk. Apache offers support and warranties, but on-site
>maintenance is not available until year two, and only under
>extended warranties at extra cost. It provides "telephone and
>electronic mail support to assist in identifying the cause of
>problems, and suggested remedies." Software support is provided
>"free of charge during warranty, but it is limited to operating
>system-specific install questions. Additional software support
>is $65 per hour."
>
>                     Serious business tool
>
>Risk is assessed in terms of individual business operations,
>and Apache's diverse commercial user base may indicate that
>business risk for many Linux users is not an issue. However,
>International Data Corp acknowledges that the use of freeware
>is in creasing, but unlike Apache, it insists that it is not a
>serious business tool. Less expensive operating software would
>be welcome since International Data believes that "companies
>are spending four times what they budgeted, just to establish a
>presence." 'The Marketer's Internet: Motivation, Cost &
>Customization' argues that the new servers and software
>packages make Web entrance easier. But "a priority is to reduce
>costs while maintaining maximum functionality and flexibility."
>There are partial answers in turn-key, industrial strength
>servers which "alleviate the expense of custom development,
>coding and systems integration, but customization accounts for
>80% of overall costs."
>