re: Observations from OSCON and Linux World Expo

davidmeyer — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:45:09 GMT

Hi Tom,

I think you just hit the nail on the head...EVERY software company that was not Open Source from the very beginning struggles with this business model and how to properly support it.

I worked for a time with two large software manufacturers (in the top five) and I can personally attest to the infighting that took place within various groups, etc. to properly support Linux and Open Source while protecting our intellectual property. In one instance, several of us recommended open sourcing a particular product that had been a cash-cow for the company for years...and continues to be. We were told not only "no, but HELL NO!" We were then politely told to never bring it up again. Two and a half years later, the product was Open Sourced, and eventually spun off as it's own company. Go figure.

I think the key is that some of us understand BOTH sides of the coin. I really do see the value of proprietary software in many respects, but support Open Source and the values and ideas that support that business model. I have seen first-hand how you can make *good* money with Open Source software, and I think MySQL is but one example of this.

Keep up the good work. Sooner or later the masses will see that the lab at Microsoft isn't full of evil clones from the Empire.

University Update - Linux - Observations from OSCON and Linux World Expo

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:34:29 GMT

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