Although the article is right on a most counts, it's missing a few key points. I support computers and networks because I'm good at it. I assumed that everyone that supported them was as good. I found out that's not true. By a long shot. Then I thought, "If these people that are supposed to be specialized in their field flummoxed by something I consider 'easy', how does the AVERAGE user react?"

I found out the answer was, "Not well." This is where Mr. Wallen falls into a trap. Sure, WE think that changing from Office to LibreOffice to Lotus SmartSuite to whatever is a breeze, and it is. Like cars, they're designed so that getting out of one and into another is pretty much the same experience, except for the small details and certain features that define one particular platform. Your 'typical' support tech, and the office 'power user' is going to need more than a few minutes, finding out where all the knobs and buttons are, and testing the features to see how they may work differently, but they're going to learn it eventually. Now the 'average' user, they're going to react as if they've been dropped into a Hungarian-made car that's made Right Hand Drive for the UK, and they'll FREAK. Support and training costs will sky-rocket. I've witnessed this first-hand. So the typical network admin, and his financial overlords, will figure that the extra cost of ~$150 per PC will be completely justifiable, and they'd be right.

Now, if you could only give that same office admin a Linux version that does file access like Windows and MS Office? THAT would be a reason to make them look twice...

(And I'm serious. One portion of the changeover I witnessed was changing from using Banyan Vines Email to MS Outlook. The 'paper airplane' button was changed to the 'Send' button, and 80% of the users had trouble with that concept...)