Open source, Microsoft models both wrong, Simonyi said

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Business models do limit development and distribution models

We have three components: development, distribution and funding. These are not entirely independent components given choices for one can put limits on the other.

As an example, a funding model premised on making knowledge scarce and thus valued as something to be sold per-unit (Marginal-cost/royalty based business models like those promoted by Microsoft) can't harness the open public (and importantly, independent) peer review that is possible if zero-marginal-cost models are used.

This is not to say that all zero-marginal-cost software will be independently peer reviewed, but that non-zero marginal cost software can't be. In the non-zero marginal cost environment, only licensees are able to review the software in any way at all.

There is far more diversity of methods with those using FLOSS licensing, and thus I happen to believe that any broad statement that claims to speak to all FLOSS projects (and all FLOSS participants) will be nonsense.

Posted by: russell@...   Posted on: 09/26/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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