iple work items simultaneously without confusion, and should provide online help. An interface that is logical and relatively simple will require less training, and should, in the end, make life easier for users. Many OSS vendors are moving their applications from local, individual PC's fat-client, Windows-based interfaces, to thin-client Web-based interfaces. Generally, they support both, but the Web-based interfaces seem to simplify training and navigation. They are also easier to maintain because they are not stored on individual PCs, but are instead maintained centrally on a server. There are some cases where character-based interfaces are still used, but it is becoming uncommon. Some applications that live close to the network, such as network testing, network management and activation tools, use character-based interfaces. In some cases technicians prefer these because they are accustomed to them and sometimes find them more effective. Company Viability. As stated earlier, a vendor is not just a seller of applications. A vendor should be a strategic partner. An IIC's business is built on its OSS platform, and its vendors should be around for the long haul. This can be tricky for IICs because many application vendors that appear to have solid products often do not have proven track records. Therefore, examining a vendor's viability, financial status, executive leadership and evolution plan is extremely important. Package Viability. The package's viability can differ from the vendor's viability as a company. For example, perfectly viable companies sometimes purchase other OSS vendors to add new capabilities to their product line. Therefore, the new product's history will be quite different from that of the vendor. It's important to examine in what stage of production an application currently stands, and how well it has been updated and maintained. Naturally, customer references are one of the best ways to determine a package's effectiveness and the vendor's ability to support it. Studying the application's fu