__/ [ B Gruff ] on Friday 21 April 2006 12:49 \__
> On Friday 21 April 2006 12:27 Leslie Danks wrote:
>
>> Probably OT but:
>>
>> "As much as he detested the Soviet regime, [Winston Churchill] once said
>> that if Hitler were to invade Hell he would promptly sign a pact with the
>> Devil."
>>
>> Or do you think OSS could ever be more than a fringe phenomenon if left
>> entirely to its own devices? I would like to think it could succeed (and I
>> do know what is "truly at the core and heart of Open Source") but I fear
>> the real world is not yet ready for it.
>
> Not at all. I think you are very much ON topic:-)
I agree.
> What is more, I think that I agree with what you are driving at - or more
> precisely, what I think you are driving at. I think that you are
> suggesting that OSS is now making inroads because of contributions by
> commercial organisations who perceive that they can make a profit from it -
> or perhaps more precisely, around it?
Don't worry. Such organisations are rarely made out of lamers (
http://www.answers.com/topic/lamer ).
> I think that this really is the case. For example:-
> Sun - StarOffice/OpenOffice
...Gave me a neat tool for reading junk files that I get sent by E-mail
> Mozilla
...Gave me a browser that can render what used to be IE-only sites. That was
the weakness of some other Web browser that I used. They also donated money
to keep OpenBSD alive. I use OpenSSH perpetually, in multiple locations.
> IBM
...Helped develop so much on Linux (LAMP stack, OSS) and also fuel the OSDL,
among other bodies that needed money to sustain themselves.
> Novell
...I use SuSE on two computers. This didn't cost me a penny.
> imo, each of these has recognised that they can get a great deal OUT by
> putting something IN, and (imo) seem to have done so (or be doing so) in a
> manner which does not contradict the core principles, and which does not
> alienate the community.
As Mark recently reminded me, it is the raison d'être of the GPL (and
siblings). IBM, unlike Oracle (Elli$on), understand that and slag off Oracle
when/where they should.
> Have I understood your question correctly? If so, it is my opinion that
> those same "methods" will succeed to an explosive extent in the near
> future, for example, when applied to government, local government,
> education, etc.
Your doubts, which end with the sentence "the real world is not yet ready for
it" seem to label you "misinformed". Apache, Oracle and Unisys (among more
corporation) have shown certainty that the future holds nothing but Open
Source software.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | Reversi for Linux/Win32: http://othellomaster.com
http://Schestowitz.com | SuSE Linux ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
1:10pm up 44 days 2:53, 12 users, load average: 1.02, 0.66, 0.59
http://iuron.com - next generation of search paradigms
|
|
