> 1. there are bugs. all software's gonna have them. business sees that
> developer time gets spent fixing the open source tools instead of working
> on an application and/or web site. business gets pissed and realize the
> 'hidden cost' of open sores and/or business just makes everyone work more
> and the open source fanatics will "donate" their spare time just so the
> open sores doesn't get the bad rap. niiiiiiiiiiice.
What's funny with the "extra development" problem is practically any software package is going to need tweaking to get it to do what you want. Sometimes it's a lot more than tweaking -- all you really get are the tools and framework to build something around (like with PeopleSoft or Ariba). It gets called configuration, but the problems are the same as development.
Even anything beyond a bog standard OS load is going to require a project. Small shops can use whatever Dell makes in the thousands of units, but back when I worked for MonstroDemonic Insurance, just switching 15,000 desktops to Windows 98 (except of course those who still had to run OS/2 -- OS/2!!! -- due to some legacy application) turned into something resembling D-Day, complete with a sacrificial first wave, pyrrhic glider landings, and overloaded grunts drowning in the surf.
-- Andy