Design a Virtual Office with Open Source?

apropos asks: "An interesting question came up recently when discussing (yet again) starting an open-source based consulting company: 'How would you design the ultimate virtual office with open source software?' With things like fax, VoIP, web, email, security and office suites all available as open source products, what kind of useful things could be done? One idea that came to mind was emailing answering machine recordings. What would you put into your ultimate virtual office solution?"

Easy...

[110010001000]

...buy it with Virtual money.

Emacs

[Anonymous Coward]

Emacs has all those things, right?

Hey

[grennis]

If I'm self-employed, can I take a virtual deduction on my taxes?

Re:Hmmm..

[faldore]

Secretaries are expensive. Computers (and programmers) are cheap.

Re:Emacs

[metlin]

All of them? Not yet ;-)

Re:hmmm

[Nimloth]

"???"?! Come on you know what number 2 is...

1)meet hot chick
2)show them your low Slashdot UID
3)get laid

I'm still working on my plan.

Re:Hmmm..

[Tandoori Haggis]

Laptops (computers) are expensive.
Laptops (secretaries) are expensive

Hmm... which one to choose?

Mr Mackey says....

[Anonymous Coward]

Offices are bad....mmmmkay

Re:Emacs

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah. All you need on top of that is another text editor.

The unreachability service

[ZakMcCracken]

All equipment (phone, fax, computer...) would turn off at the press of one (1) button.

Then if somebody still tried to reach you, an automated voice or fax or email, as the case may be, would tell them: "I'm trying to have some quiet time here DAMMIT!"

The ability to be unreachable anywhere would be a terrific option for cell phone owners.

Easy...

[ilctoh]

Just create an MS BOB clone! Not only would you have a virtual office, but you'd have a virtual kitchen, living room, filling cabinet, and more great features at your finger tips!

Re:People.

[_PimpDaddy7_]

Yes but this is slashdot. We are engineers...we don't like dealing with people. :)

Re:hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah well... If it ever works that way, chances are you also need to

4) Pay

Re:Linmodems

[Anonymous Coward]

Uhh the keyword is "Think", because you have to think about what it would be like if it existed. Have you even read the linmodem sight?

I would put...

[Decameron81]

"What would you put into your ultimate virtual office solution?"

An open source secretary.

Diego Rey

Start an IP forfeiture firm...

[bergeron76]

You could charge to post your or your clients' ideas on Slashdot and watch their IP disappear as people with more resources than they have scoop up the idea and run with it.

I bet their competitors would pay you a good bit of money for this service.

Drat! I'm falling victim to my own idea by even posting this consulting idea!

The Ultimate Tech's dream

[juebay]

Tech phone call takes what the user says, types it into google, and redirect whatever browser the user is on to the search results

a virtual secretary

[bsDaemon]

to have a virtual afair with... she could also pick up my virtual dry cleaning

Re:I would put...

[geekoid]

Why would you want a secretary with open sores?

Hey

[TiKwanLeep]

How about some virtual unemployment?

Source....maybe not

[CdnZero]

I'm not an expert on STDs (I play one on TV...nevermind) but I don't think you want your secretary to be the source of anything...open or otherwise.

Re:Hmmm..

[PedanticSpellingTrol]

Sir, that is the most disgusting thing I have ever read.

And by 'that', I mean your username.

Re:Emacs

[I_Want_This_ID]

Emacs is a nice operating system, all it really needs now is a text editor.

Re:The unreachability service

[mjihad]

The ability to be unreachable anywhere would be a terrific option for cell phone owners.

I already have that, it's called Being Broke(tm).

Re:Maintainability - The AK47 Virtual Office

[Radical Rad]

(Metallic Voice): Hello Grandma... This is Peter... I am running late... Will be there after I pick up the kids at the YMCA...

Grandma drops the phone and crys "Oh No! I knew I should have gotten that policy with Old Glory. [queenkv.org] Now the metal ones are coming for me and I don't have any insurance."

..because it fits so well...

[naelurec]

[Scene Initech. Bob Slydell and Bob Porter are interviewing Tom.]

BOB SLYDELL: So what you do is you take the specifications from the customers and you bring them down to the software engineers?

TOM: That, that's right.

BOB PORTER: Well, then I gotta ask, then why can't the customers just take the specifications directly to the software people, huh?

TOM: Well, uh, uh, uh, because, uh, engineers are not good at dealing with
customers.

BOB SLYDELL: You physically take the specs from the customer?

TOM: Well, no, my, my secretary does that, or, or the fax.

BOB SLYDELL: Ah.

BOB PORTER: Then you must physically bring them to the software people.

TOM: Well...no. Yeah, I mean, sometimes.

BOB SLYDELL: Well, what would you say... you do here?

TOM: Well, look, I already told you. I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to!! I have people skills!! I am good at dealing with people!!! Can't you understand that?!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!!!!!!!