Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on January 01, 2003 07:59 AM
I came to realize that it is very difficult to justify the existence and maintenance of software according to the open source model. It requires first a totally new kind of mindset. There is an analogy that might explain this phenomenon. There was a time when the airplane design model could not justify how certain voluminous and heavy insects could sustain their weight in the air. The insects themselves did not care about engineering and continued to fly as they always did. Such is the case with open source software. The open source developers do not care that the market theorists cannot explain how it is
possible to survive. So they are surviving and the community of users is growing, against the expectations of people who only believe in the traditional business models. One day someone will find a reasonable explanation for the phenomenon, but it will not affect the history. Maybe the explanation after many case histories will convince more people that it is true, so open source will grow even more. People who did not understand at first will see the reality and will feel that they could have joined open source earlier. There is no need to fight verbal battles; we know the truth, and the truth will eventually prevail. Some people will only change their ways when they realize that are no longer competitive, and that day will come.
Learn about Linux
Download Linux
Get Linux help
Re:Don't forget the business-model!
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 01, 2003 07:59 AMjustify the existence and maintenance of software
according to the open source model.
It requires first a totally new kind of mindset.
There is an analogy that might explain this
phenomenon.
There was a time when the airplane design model
could not justify how certain voluminous and
heavy insects could sustain their weight in
the air.
The insects themselves did not care about
engineering and continued to fly as they
always did.
Such is the case with open source software.
The open source developers do not care that
the market theorists cannot explain how it is
possible to survive. So they are surviving and
the community of users is growing, against
the expectations of people who only believe
in the traditional business models.
One day someone will find a reasonable
explanation for the phenomenon, but it will
not affect the history.
Maybe the explanation after many case
histories will convince
more people that it is true, so open source
will grow even more.
People who did not
understand at first will see the reality and
will feel that they could have joined open
source earlier. There is no need to fight verbal
battles; we know the truth, and the truth will
eventually prevail. Some people will only
change their ways when they realize that are
no longer competitive, and that day will come.
#