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List:       kde-promo
Subject:    Re: [kde-promo] Contest: Working version of KOffice 1.5 on Windows,
From:       Kent Nguyen <kent () mslinux ! com>
Date:       2006-05-17 16:06:20
Message-ID: 446B49FC.2080000 () mslinux ! com
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Thiago Macieira wrote:

> Kent Nguyen wrote:
> 
> 
> > Don't underestimate the power of $3,000.  It can produce one of the
> > greatest contributor to KOffice.  Be a student in India or a 16 years
> > old kid who has nothing better to do with his life than play games.  The
> > market is full of potential, and one of the best way to tap it is
> > through good competition.
> > 
> > 
> 
> $3k would be definitely nice to a developer that has no other employment 
> constraints and has the time to work on a project.
> 
> But what people are pointing out in this thread is that the objective of 
> this contest could be a dis-service for KOffice. First and foremost, the 
> current KOffice developers would probably be unable to help, since 
> they'll be involved with KOffice 2, which will have a very different code 
> base. Second, such a project undertaken alone could produce a 
> barely-functional or not-functional-at-all KOffice on Windows which would 
> hurt our cause and the chances of success for KOffice 2.
> 
> 
The current KOffice developers don't have to participate if they don't 
want to.  It's up to them.  What I want to see is the market opportunity 
open to everyone. 

I don't see why having something isn't better than nothing.  Right now, 
today, there's no KOffice for Windows, and this contest wasn't a mean to 
make a production type KOffice for Windows but a proof of concept.  A 
proof of concept is a way to signal to the market that there's 
potential.  If you talk about marketing, this is key to wetting the 
interest of those who crave to switch from Microsoft Office by knowing 
there's something that's coming out in the market in a few months 
competing against Microsoft Office so they can hold on purchasing their 
next upgrade to Microsoft Office.  If you don't show people that KOffice 
on Windows is possible, they won't wait.  You have a window of 
opportunity of a few months from proof of concept to a workable 
product.  That's the attention span of a company.  But if KOffice has a 
different vision not targeting mainstream business users then I don't 
think what I propose make sense. 

> And finally, people are also questioning whether the reward is comparable 
> to the effort necessary to accomplish the task.
> 
> 
Let the market decide this.  More money will be committed once this 
proof of concept hurdle is reached but if you expect to receive $100,000 
by not showing that it's possible, it's risky business.



 
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