Sun: Open source is about self-interest

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Good gravy, you HAVE missed the point!

Squeezing money out of people using OSS is not what's meant here at all.

One of the major challenges associated with Open Source is establishing mindshare among corporate users... "selling it to management" in CapitalSpeak.

What this argument says is that there are benefits associated with enrichment of the commons that outweigh the benefits of sequestering "intellectual property". This is true. Most code isn't created for sale... it's for internal use. As I've stated elsewhere on ZDNet, it doesn't make sense to chuck tons of R&D dollars into code that I'm going to keep to myself when I can contribute to an Open Source system and receive back benefits that greatly outweigh my contribution.

This is a purely capitalist argument that says I should adopt OSS out of self-interest. That doesn't in any way change the fact that I should ALSO adopt OSS out of public interest. In this case, the public's interest an my own coincide.

Phipps is correct when he says that "creating and maintaining a completely independent code base was ultimately self-defeating." This is because in the long run, by wasting money on reinvented wheels, companies squander resources that are better spent in marketing their product or developing new functionality and differentiating their products.

Furthermore, he's absolutely correct to say, "I disagree with those who say who say open source is a legal minefield. If you think open source is a minefield you're doing it wrong." You don't contribute to Open Source with the idea of suing others for using it. Neither do others, so sticking to Open Source licenses is no less safe than any other license. It's actually a good deal safer since you don't have to worry about per seat or per processor or "how much have you got in your pocket?" licensing.

(BTW, SCO is an aberration. Their ultimate loss will legitimize this principle. Actually, their eroding marketshare already has. Meanwhile, Open Source Linux vendors chug on.)

Again, this is about what you get back in return for investments in the Commons... it's NOT about what you can shake down from your customers. Big difference, and Sun is right to use the argument. It's the proper and correct to appeal to the self-interest of those who don't see the public interest when the outcome of each argument is the same.

Posted by: dave.leigh@...   Posted on: 06/29/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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