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[News] Advantages of Free Software CMSs Programming Languages

Programming languages and "lock-in"

,----[ Quote ]
| In other words, while both systems theoretically give me the power to “modify 
| and improve” the software to satisfy my needs, only Plone practically gives 
| me that power (because I have the skill to make use of it). Even if I knew 
| PHP as well as I know Python, I might decide to use Plone because of a 
| preference for the object model, libraries, or ease-of-maintenance of Python. 
| These are matters of taste: another developer might just as readily prefer 
| PHP on exactly the same grounds.      
| 
| In this way, each program attracts its own “developer culture” of programmers 
| who are familiar with and/or prefer a particular set of programming language, 
| libraries, and development tools.  
| 
| None of these distinctions is particularly meaningful to a true “end user”, 
| who doesn’t care how the software works internally. And yet, they are 
| important. Because many “users” are not pure end users. In fact, in deploying 
| a CMS-based website, it’s very likely that you plan to do some development.   
`----

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/programming_language_lock_in


Recent:

WordPress is Open Source

,----[ Quote ]
| Six Apart has recently decided that the best way to win back customers 
| fleeing their platforms is to target WordPress, which is a new strategy they 
| call competing. (What have they been doing the past 7 years?) A good example 
| is this exchange between a commenter on Valleywag and Byrne Reese, the lead 
| developer of Movable Type:    
| 
| Sundown: “@anildash: what part of Wordpress is not open source?”
| 
| byrnereese: “@Sunnduwn - I think that is a question better asked of 
| Automattic. Anil, and certainly not Six Apart, has never been briefed, nor 
| has anyone for that matter been presented with an accounting of what is open 
| and closed source at Automattic.”   
| 
| Okay, here’s some accounting:
| 
| WordPress is 100% open source, GPL.
| 
| All plugins in the official directory are GPL or compatible, 100% open 
| source. 
| 
| bbPress is 100% GPL.
| 
| WordPress MU is 100% open source, GPL, and if you wanted you could take it 
| and build your own hosted platform like WordPress.com, like edublogs.org has 
| with over 100,000 blogs.  
| 
| There is more GPL stuff on the way, as well. :)
| 
| Could you build Typepad or Vox with Movable Type? Probably not, especially 
| since people with more than a few blogs or posts say it grinds to a halt, as 
| Metblogs found before they switched to WordPress.  
`----

http://ma.tt/2008/03/wordpress-is-open-source/


How The GPL Can Save Your Ass

,----[ Quote ]
| If you are the multi-billion dollar IT industry you stick you head in the 
| sand and just keep making cars. It is after all, not your problem. That seems 
| to be the attitude of almost every company with a vested interest in the 
| computing market. There was a recent announcement indicating Intel and 
| Microsoft have put up $10 million to fund research in parallel software. Hah! 
| I'm going to laugh harder this time HAH, HAH! Ever here the phase pissing in 
| the ocean, well this is more like throwing a match into the sun. We need 
| more -- much more.       
| 
| [...]
| 
| Second, the entire in industry must co-operate and be involved. We need 
| everyone working on this problem. The best minds in high performance 
| computing have been at it for quite a while and it is time to turn up the 
| volume. Fantasies of telling your R&D guys to get on it are not enough. 
| Trying to corral your Intellectual Property (IP) with trade secrets and 
| patents is wishful thinking. The rocket scientists (and plenty of other smart 
| people) have been working on this issue for a long time. You don't have the 
| time to waste trying to expand your IP fiefdom. Instead start thinking about 
| what happens when the next generation of products is of absolutely no 
| interest to your customers.         
| 
| Third we need to respond quickly. There is no time for IP agreements, 
| posturing, and NIH ego trips (Not Invented Here). We need leaders to 
| recognize the scope and magnitude of this challenge and act. Before too long, 
| it will not be unreasonable to have four or even eight cores in a desktop. A 
| workstation or server may have double this amount. It would sure be nice if 
| my software could effectively use all these cores.     
| 
| [...]
| 
| Using the GPL will immediately remove issues that would normally choke such 
| an important undertaking. First, the any IP barriers get pushed aside and 
| everyone can cooperate openly  
`----

http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379

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