Phil

Ever since getting that, “I have been cheated again feeling”, after installing MS Vista I have been looking into opensource. I am trying to figure a way I can payback to the opensource community, but I am not rich enough nor expert enough in anything at this point. I am really grateful for people such as Mr. Reisler who dedicate their time to the FOSS community.

Unfortunately, Mr. Reisler’s experience with Open Source word processors is consistent with my own. For all its many maddening faults, WinWord is a mature and powerful product — by far the best thing MS has ever created, IMO. It’s hard to see how any other word processor can make inroads into its huge base of existing user without being a lot more attractive — and easy to migrate to — than Open Office, et al. Even at home I’ve been forced to install XP just to run Word, because none of the alternatives is satisfactory. This is a nut that the OSS community really has to crack before it will start to supplant MS in the legal world, at least at the application level.

On the other hand, if MS keeps generating “upgrades” like Vista and Word 2007, it may eventually drive its userbase away. I think that would be happening now if, as I say, the word processing problem could be solved.

As for that “cheated again” feeling, I know it well and experienced it back when Windows 95 was released. One brand new expensive computer and 5 installs of Win95 due to corruptions later (within a couple of months and no help from MS without a credit card), I switched to Slackware and never looked back.

I only wish that more professionals would realize the value of a linux desktop/server combination for SMBs and problems like those Mr. Reisler are facing would quickly fall by the wayside. Maybe I’ll take up template writing for OpenOffice as a hobby :)

I wonder what makes thunderbird unqualified for your email?

http://www.georgialibraries.org/

We believe in freedom of information and FOSS is a natural fit.

I salute you sir!

Depending on the locale and practice, I am sure that OpenOffice can replace Word. Many if not most of the lawyers I know prefer and use WordPerfect to this day.

It would be great if there was a push made for ODF in the legal system.

Now, here in Philippines, proprietary software is widely pirated. GNU/Linux, though it is free and open source, is not well known to the average Filipino. I’ve met senators and lawyers here. They’re using proprietary software, but denied it being pirated. I’ve exchanged data with law firms and Philippine government agencies… They commonly ask me, “Are you using Windows?” Many would ask me, “Are you using Word?”

Regarding OpenOffice… I gave a Philippine Senator a CD copy of OpenOffice, when he asked me where I can get a licensed version of Office 2007 at a low price. I told him, “Try it and let me know what you think.” A few days later, he asked me, “Is OpenOffice really free?” I told him, “Yes it is, and there’s no worry about Optical Media Board (OMB) taking it from you.” OMB is the Anti-Piracy government agency here in the Philippines.

As of my data in 2006, the Philippine Supreme Court depends heavily on commercial software from Microsoft. Many people have told me that they need a side-by-side comparison of the free/open source versus proprietary software.

Mr. Reisler’s phrase, “Although Free Software does not cost anything, there truly is no such thing as a free lunch” is a true one. There are many way to contribute back. Their idea of contributing money back is a good one, especially to those that didn’t come from the geek world.

Overall, Mr. Reisler wrote a great article. And I’m glad it’s on Linux Magazine… Only wish Linux Magazine was still printing a magazine… I miss those magazines.

That avoidance of maintaining annual sales cash flow to the users’ detriment is one of the huge benefits of FOSS. Corporations’ constant need for cash is fundamentally at odds with the users’ need for a stable product and need to eliminate cash outlays for needless products.

That was a great article. I ran an engineering consulting business for about 20 years and was constantly frustrated by proprietary software problems. Nowadays having the FOSS alternative would be very sweet.

This article is a shining example:

In 2004, I purchased an IBM Thinkpad that came loaded with Windows and, after partitioning the hard drive, we loaded Debian Sarge. Now, in 2007, we are running Etch, the current stable release of Debian. My office runs a basic Pogolinux server.

Email has become an essential component of the practice of law. In fact, email now has supplanted the telephone, mail, and the facsimile machine as the workhorse of the law office. Literally everything is conducted by email, including correspondence with the judges’ clerks, communications with clients, and flamemail launched at opposing counsel. My email utility is Evolution and, although it periodically crashes or hangs, it is no less reliable than what I used to use.

My Web browser is Mozilla Firefox: although, on occasion, I will use one of the several other browsers that come loaded with my version of Debian. I use NoScript 1.3.1 (a FOSS program written by Giorgio Maone of InformAction, Palermo, Sicily) to preemptively block a lot of advertising and to protect myself from various Web security vulnerabilities.

Between my FOSS browser, Evolution, and GNU/Linux operating system, I like the fact that I am almost virus and worm free. My lawyer friends go through periodic emergency upgrades of their more prosaic software while I experience no such emergencies. Although my former partners are forced periodically to abandon their operating systems for something newer, shiner, and just as flaky, my operating system is always backwards and forwards compatible.

No lawyer talks like this! It’s obvious a techie wrote this article!

I’m a big fan of Linux, but no big fan of BS!

No law office could use all-Linux even if they wanted to! For example – how would they scan their documents? There are exactly 0 document scanners in production that support ADF (Auto Document Feed) and work for Linux. What? Does this guy scan his legal documents 1 sheet at a time? In a law office? HA!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!

Don’t lawyers have any right to become techies too? Im not affiliated with Mr. Reisler nor do I know him personally but I do believe his article (and way of writing) deserves positive credit.

I’m working on a pro bono project with a community health center that’s moving from an antiquated Turbo C-based Practice Management System to a FOSS solution
running on a CENTOS cluster, and all the staff is lovin’ life nowadays.

After the Vista debacle, I think most folks are sick of having Microlimp foisting beta code off on thier customers as final releases.

And pcweber is dead-on…the recession is a golden opportunity for system integrators, codesmiths, and VAR’s to promote the cause of Open Source, do some Good Things for the clients, and make some sweet bucks in the bargain.

Koredump

It works. There are some hassles around compatibility of websites with firefox and some around the openoffice spreadsheet formulae and ms exel… but nothing too dramatic.

so it works. I am legal and it is free and opensource