In management, you get what you measure. In volume sales, you get what the press reports. In the case of Linux installs, what the press reports is
license sales numbers — and letting that continue would be a terrible mistake, hurting everyone who is involved with open-source products like Linux.
If you sell products, measuring those sales in terms of dollars during some reporting cycle — like a quarterly or annual period — makes perfect
sense. It’s dollars you’re interested in and so dollars you measure. That’s not true, however, for the open-source community. If you give away the
product, then usage is the only measure that counts.
license sales numbers — and letting that continue would be a terrible mistake, hurting everyone who is involved with open-source products like Linux.
If you sell products, measuring those sales in terms of dollars during some reporting cycle — like a quarterly or annual period — makes perfect
sense. It’s dollars you’re interested in and so dollars you measure. That’s not true, however, for the open-source community. If you give away the
product, then usage is the only measure that counts.
Link: linuxinsider.com
Category:
- Linux
