Second source, not open source, is the key

TalkBack 2 of 29:

Next »

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

Open source not so open

From the article:
Open source might seem to be the answer, but it's not invulnerable. It certainly makes a fault-tolerant strategy easier, but by no means guarantees it: while the SCO nonsense is falling apart in slow motion, software patents remain a potent source of danger for everyone. The history of technology in the 20th century is full of cases where resourceful and aggressive companies have used every legal weapon to increase control. Do not assume that just because you have the source and the rights to use it as you will, those rights are necessarily inviolable. They should be--but "should be" isn't enough.

I think Sun made a good, similar point about Red Hat. Linux lock-in. Sounds like an actor, but true.
And SCO might not be it, but the first successful patent suit against open source will reverberate. This vulnerability has to be treated sensibly, but it's not FUD.


On a different subject, suppose the problems you're looking at are:
assuring the continued viability and availability of legal insurance from your provider and
assuring all aspects of in-house IT play well together.
Then going with a single large vendor would be efficient.

The article does make a good point, that a single, widespread vendor can produce more damage than a lot of smaller vendors.
On the other hand, a large vendor can be trusted to respond more quickly, no matter how many locations are affected.

So the issue is not so simple.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 06/16/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Building the Virtualized Enterprise with VMware Infrastructure VMware VMware virtualization software has been adopted by over 120,000 enterprise ... Download Now
• Get top-ranked Novell support for Red Hat at 50% less Novell A simplified IT environment isn't just less complex, it's more reliable. ... Download Now
• Three Steps You Need to Know to Stop Data Loss Varonis Sensitive data exposed to misuse or loss... it is the stuff of nightmares ... Download Now