Topic: "Open source software for architects"

[CADaver]

Randy, It was a different thread I think.

Nah that isn't it, I remembered that one.

I do wish we could get a good DWG compatible competitor. Competition is good, right Randy?

hmmm... oh? why?

Even if it's open source maybe?

Only if you're a programmer.  Look at something simple like Intellicad, how many different versions are there out there now, and which is "best"?  How much time do we burn finding out which is best?  And do we have to wait for Billy to get home from summer camp to repair an upgrade? Still unimpressed.

[MickD]

I do wish we could get a good DWG compatible competitor. Competition is good, right Randy?

hmmm... oh? why?

Better service and features driven by competition perhaps

... How much time do we burn finding out which is best?  And do we have to wait for Billy to get home from summer camp to repair an upgrade? Still unimpressed.

So, are you saying that you have none of these 'teething' problems buying or using your proprietary software??

[CADaver]

I do wish we could get a good DWG compatible competitor. Competition is good, right Randy?

hmmm... oh? why?

Better service and features driven by competition perhaps

Perhaps, perhaps not, there is a great deal of competition out there already if I believe what I read service has not improved much and the new "features" are "unnecessary".

... How much time do we burn finding out which is best?  And do we have to wait for Billy to get home from summer camp to repair an upgrade? Still unimpressed.

So, are you saying that you have none of these 'teething' problems buying or using your proprietary software??

I've never had a proprietary vendor give me the phone number of a high school kid for support, and that HAS happened to me for open source more than once.  Try explaining to the project manager of a multi-hundred-million dollar project he can't see graphics in his document because Bobby's mom grounded him from his computer for a week.

For AutoCAD, there's AutoCAD but for IntelliCAD, there's IntelliCAD and BricsCAD and ProgeCAD and ElcoVision and a host of other AutoCAD wanna-bes none any better than the other just "different" and equally unimpressive.  If that's all you want to draw, or you'd rather play with the program than build plants and refineries then cool, carry on.


BTW, my spell checker suggested cannabis for “wanna-bes”… might be on to something there……

[MickD]

... How much time do we burn finding out which is best?  And do we have to wait for Billy to get home from summer camp to repair an upgrade? Still unimpressed.

So, are you saying that you have none of these 'teething' problems buying or using your proprietary software??

I've never had a proprietary vendor give me the phone number of a high school kid for support, and that HAS happened to me for open source more than once.  Try explaining to the project manager of a multi-hundred-million dollar project he can't see graphics in his document because Bobby's mom grounded him from his computer for a week.

That's a bit of an over-generalisation if I ever heard one, I'd doubt you would speak to 'Bobby' when you rang Sun or IBM et al.

[CADaver]

... How much time do we burn finding out which is best?  And do we have to wait for Billy to get home from summer camp to repair an upgrade? Still unimpressed.

So, are you saying that you have none of these 'teething' problems buying or using your proprietary software??

I've never had a proprietary vendor give me the phone number of a high school kid for support, and that HAS happened to me for open source more than once.  Try explaining to the project manager of a multi-hundred-million dollar project he can't see graphics in his document because Bobby's mom grounded him from his computer for a week.

That's a bit of an over-generalisation if I ever heard one, I'd doubt you would speak to 'Bobby' when you rang Sun or IBM et al.

That may be, or not.  But I was sent to "Bobby" for a solution to and OpenOffice issue.... twice.  Therein lies my concern with open source, I just never know.

[Antisthenes]

open source is OK you just need to get used to it

get involved with the development

but I still like Rhinoceros better

[CADaver]

get involved with the development

Why? I'm not a programmer, don't want to BE a programmer, don't even want to hire programmers

but I still like Rhinoceros better

Really?, you don't say, gee I'd have never guessed.

[Maverick®]

but I still like Rhinoceros better

Really?, you don't say, gee I'd have never guessed.

What did one Hyena say to the other Hyena?

[Chuck Gabriel]

get involved with the development

Why? I'm not a programmer, don't want to BE a programmer, don't even want to hire programmers

but I still like Rhinoceros better

Really?, you don't say, gee I'd have never guessed.

What have you got against programmers anyway?  What have they ever done to you? 

[CADaver]

get involved with the development

Why? I'm not a programmer, don't want to BE a programmer, don't even want to hire programmers

but I still like Rhinoceros better

Really?, you don't say, gee I'd have never guessed.

What have you got against programmers anyway?  What have they ever done to you? 

Not a thing, great bunch of folks, like 'em all.  Nothing against Architects either, just don't wanna draw house plans for a lady that wants a sixty thousand square foot palace for the price of a one-holer porta-can.
Programming is not why we're in business.

[Antisthenes]

well,
i don't think i hyena(s) would have a chance against a Rhinoceros, it is the king of the jungle when it comes to the last water hole.

and i have no problem using Progecad 2006 LT or Open Office. rather than wasting __ on autocad and ms office

[Arizona]

well,
i don't think i hyena(s) would have a chance against a Rhinoceros, it is the king of the jungle when it comes to the last water hole.

...

Well except for the bacteria in the water hole.
Funny how something so small can take down even a Rhinoceros

[Josh Nieman]

well,
i don't think i hyena(s) would have a chance against a Rhinoceros, it is the king of the jungle when it comes to the last water hole.

and i have no problem using Progecad 2006 LT or Open Office. rather than wasting __ on autocad and ms office

What exactly am I wasting on Autocad?  My company seems to be making money using the software we have.  We seem to have plenty of time to do our jobs using the software we have.  Our users are easily trained to accomplish their work using our software.  Everyone who has come to work here has already had prior knowledge or even mastery of the software we have.

That... seems to take care of everything involved with the purpose of our software.

[Antisthenes]

well how much is your companies subscription and upgrade costs i would ask?

have you used Intellicad? there is no learning curve all the commands are the same,  it truly is a clone and can be free:

http://www.softsea.com/download/ProgeCAD-LT-2006.html

[Josh Nieman]

well how much is your companies subscription and upgrade costs i would ask?

have you used Intellicad? there is no learning curve all the commands are the same,  it truly is a clone and can be free:

http://www.softsea.com/download/ProgeCAD-LT-2006.html

Our subscription cost is the same as everyone else.  $800/seat/year or whatever the price is.  We have 6 seats.  That subscription cost is infinitely recovered by the support offered by the company we pay for, being a user of a program that boasts millions of users to which there are common discussion pools for which I would draw information, and nearly-universal acceptance from any company we work with, as well as the program being taught by most colleges/tech schools/universities from which would would possibly draw applicant drafters.  The very affordable subscription cost also comes with the support of our very knowledgeable reseller who continually offers training classes, seminars, demos, tech support, all of which is free, or has a menial cost (like chipping in a couple bucks for lunch for training classes)

But I think I already covered the fact that we use this software and it makes us quite a lot of money while we use it.  Then again, the overhead that this software incurs is not really where the dollars are.  We charge what we charge, not because we use "expensive" software... we charge what we do to cover liability, insurance, employee wage/benefits, profit margin, training, office material overhead, and all that jazz.  When it comes down to it... software is a small boat in a designing engineering firm, and to cause waves over such a dinghy thing, when we have tankers to worry about... is ludicrous.