20090623 Microsoft Out if the Question in Free Software Consulting

From s5h.net

Starting a Business as an Open Source Consultant

You have to learn to Say No, no matter how hard it is to do so, Jamison says. Say No to offers to work for sweat equity, to scope creep from customers, to lowering your price. And in open source terms: "We have to say No to working with Microsoft technology," he adds. "We didn't start this company to work with frickin' Microsoft technology."

http://www.javaworld.com/community/?q=node/3104

Recent

IT cost-cutting tactics: LinkedIn users tell all

Hein Hanssen, senior consultant at Fagro Consultancy in The Netherlands, suggests avoiding proprietary software and embracing open source. "The main reason you suffer from increasing (licensing) costs is probably that you have reached a point where you suffer from vendor lock-in caused by proprietary software," writes Hanssen. "The vendors have you in your grip: you can't easily switch. You should have considered this before the current crisis." Proprietary software "should be avoided as much as possible," according to Hanssen. "Also, avoid as much as possible software that only runs on a single platform. Use as much multi-platform software as you can...Try to get as much software based on open standards and the open source idea. This, combined with all other possible solutions, will prove to be a real cost saver." Many companies are now evaluating open source, says business and technology consultant Chip Nickolett.

http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/64580/it-cost-cutting-tactics-linkedin-users-tell-all