StarPortal will make many of the current support issues
non-existent (installation, configuration, proxies, crashes etc), so I'm not unduly concerned.
I agree. But when Sun acquired Star Division I made the comment that there are a million ways they can screw up the execution of the whole Star strategy. One of those ways is to let Star Office get a bad reputation between now and the time Star Portal is a customer-pleasing service.
As Sun's name creates a much larger Star Office customer base by increasing the number of free downloads, if Sun lets support capacity get too diluted, then many of the necessarily more naive users in a larger base will get pissed off. Microsoft's support is not so great, but it's not so bad either. If Star Office develops a rep that no one can use it but geeks, that you get what you pay for, that support consists of a mailing list (I mean, even Red Hat does better than that!) etc., it's a big minus.
I realize Star Portal's success will depend mostly on the backing of ISP's and other factors, and it can still succeed even if Star Office somehow turns into an albatross. But I hope Sun's management is smart enough not to let that happen.
Regards,
--QwikSand |
