foss support webinar0108
DESCRIPTION
How to find support for Open Source SoftwareTRANSCRIPT
- 1. NOSI/NTEN Webinar The Key Is the Community: How to Get Support for Open Source Software Michelle Murrain, Coordinator Nonprofit Open Source Initiative
2. What we'll cover
- Models of support for software
- Models in FOSS vs. Proprietary
- Paid support for FOSS
- The Key is Community
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- Types of community support
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- Strengths and weaknesses of community support
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- Examples of FOSS community support
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- How to find community support
- What you need to know now
3. Software support models
- If you look at every type of software or online service, there are varied types of support, although not all are available for all software.
- This can depend on the type of software, the cost of the software, and the company or developers
- It is almost always possible to find some support for software but the timeliness and appropriateness of that support may differ
4. In-person support
- This type of support is most common when an organization contracts with a hardware/network support consultant or company, for support of their servers and desktops. It generally includes both hardware and software support. Some large-scale software installations also offer in-person support. This is the most expensive kind of support available.
5. Phone support
- This is being able to call someone on the phone, speak to an actual human being, and get help for whatever the problem might be.
- This might be support directly from a software vendor, or it might be support from a consultant or company
6. Live Chat support
- This can be an individual chat with a support person via a website or instant messenger
7. Email or ticket system
- Many companies, developers and consutants have ticket systems. An email to them, or a form on a website, will enter a ticket system, which tracks support requests
- Some work just by email, without a ticket system
8. IRC
- IRC = Internet Relay Chat
- IRC is community chat many people are in a channel, and can provide answers to questions
- This can be run by developers/companies, or independent
9. Email list
- This can be official, or unofficial. It can be just a community of users, or it can include support from the developers/company
10. Web Forum
- This can also be official, or unofficial.
11. FOSS vs. Proprietary
- At this time, all of these methods of support are available for both types of software.
- Historically, support for FOSS was based in the community of users and developers of FOSS projects.
- Because of this, it is often easiest and most direct to get support from the community for FOSS
- However, it is possible to pay for support for FOSS
12. Paying for FOSS support
- Linux vendors, such as RedHat, Novell (SUSE) and Canonical (Ubuntu) have plans where you can get phone support.
- IBM, Sun and others provide paid support for their FOSS products
- More and more companies are getting into the business of providing support for FOSS in the private sector
- Increasing avenues for support in the nonprofit sector, including NTAPs
13. How to find paid support
- Buy a version of Linux from a commercial vendor which comes with support
- Buy a version of a FOSS application (database, CMS, CRM, etc.) from a commercial vendor that comes with support
- Find a vendor that supports FOSS (see http://snurl.com/1y3h6)
14. However ... Although it is possible to pay for support for FOSS, getting support from the community is not only a viable, cost-effective source of support, but it has other positive side-effects 15. The Key is Community
- History
- Types of community support
- Strengths of community support
- Weaknesses of community support
- Becoming a part of a community
16. History
- circa 1995: Just about all open source software was used by enthusiasts and academics. If you needed help, you had to find others that had used the software support communities were born.
- circa 2000: Use of FOSS broadens beyond enthusiasts and academe. A few companies were beginning to offer support like RedHat for Linux, MySQL AB for MySQL, and others. Community support matures.
- circa 2008: Hundreds of companies provide support for FOSS. FOSS is used by large and small companies and organizations. Communities of support thrive.
17. Types of community support
- Support by application or Linux distribution
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- User groups (in person)
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- Email lists
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- Web forums
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- IRC channels
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- Developers/company staff are often present
18. Types of community support
- By interest area or other
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- Educational users
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- Nonprofit users (like NTEN-Discuss, NOSI-Discussion)
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- Other groups
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- Linux User Groups (LUGS)
- These cut across different software applications. More applied to a particular kind of use, but less specific.
19. Strengths of Community Support
- Can get answers almost immediately
- As you get to know a community, you get to know individuals who can help in particular situations
- Communities of popular applications are large, and have users with a wide variety of technical savvy.
- There are usually multiple avenues of support (IRC/Email lists/Web forums)
- It is almost always possible to contact a developer
- Support by issue area can be very friendly and useful
20. Weaknesses of Community Support
- Unpredictable whether or not your problem can be solved
- Unpredictable how long it will take
- A very few communities are unfriendly to newbies, or reply to questions with RTFM (Read the ****ing Manual)
21. And remember ...
- When you do a Google search on a problem you are having with FOSS software, most of the time what you get is a result of someone else using community support
22. 23. 24. How to find community support
- Use communities you are already in
25. How to find community support
- Go to the website of the application you are using
26. Examples of community support
- OpenOffice.org forums
- ProjectPier forums
- Ubuntu IRC
- Joomla Forums
- Joomla Wiki
- Mailman mailing lists
- Linuxchix.org
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- Mailing lists
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- IRC
27. Becoming Part of a Community
- The key to community is contribution and collaboration a good general rule is the more you give to a community, the more you will recieve.
- User communities really need contributions by members ofalllevels this provides support for the widest range of users.
- Youcan influnce the direction of the software
28. NPTECH examples
- NTAPs and Consulting firms getting involved in FOSS communities (Drupal, Plone, OpenACS, Joomla)
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- Provide organizational support for the community
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- give back code and resources
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- get back support that helps clients
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- FOSS communities benefit
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- providers benefit
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- ulimately, clients benefit
29. Rules to make it all work
- These are people who are, generally, doing this out of generosity and their own interest. Dont treat them like you are paying them.
- For IRC, dont ask to ask your question just ask it.
- When answering others questions, a great rule is: be polite, be helpful.
- Give back as much as you can.
30. So what you need to know now...
- Youcanfind helpful support for most FOSS applications
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- paid support is becoming quite common
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- community support is very rich
- Check out the support during your evaluation process
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- Read mailing list archives
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- lurk in IRC channels
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- Read forums
- Join a list/forum immediately its amazing how much you can learn by osmosis, even before you have a problem