[100508] in RedHat Linux List
The future of the OSS model: self-destruct?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lance Cummings)
Sat Nov 21 09:52:18 1998
From: "Lance Cummings" <lance@tky3.3web.ne.jp>
To: redhat-list@redhat.com
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 23:50:24 +0900
Reply-to: lance@tky3.3web.ne.jp
Resent-From: redhat-list@redhat.com
A friend of mine sent me this email this week, and I thought some of
you folks on this list might like to comment. I know I'd be interested to
hear what others have to say about this as well.
--begin message--
I keep hearing about this Linux stuff so much that I decided to spend last
weekend researching an area that I had heretofore written off as hobbyist in
nature. Although I won't say I am a complete convert yet, the ideas behind
the OSS model are interesting -- and in some ways compelling. And if I was
Microsoft, I'd be worried about it.
My real question is how can I (or anyone) make any money from this software
model? Sure Red Hat and some others are selling the freebie, but they are
essentially becoming service companies, not software companies. Frankly,
the IT service business is lucrative, but personally I'm tired of it.
And how extensible is this model to other software development? The model
depends on the egalitarian contributions of programmers. This work is done
in their spare time. Their real jobs as commercial programmers allow them
to make a living developing software under the old business model. So if
more and more software becomes OSS, doesn't that dry up the good paying
programming jobs that really are what allows the off-hours work on OSS. So
does OSS eventually kill itself?? (admittedly this is years away)
And let's face it. A lot of the OSS motivation is to bring down the church.
Once we topple Microsoft and the rest of the papacy, does the energy and
enthusiasm for this model continue.
Much to think about.
--end message--
Look forward to hearing what y'all have to say.
Lance
--
PLEASE read the Red Hat FAQ, Tips, Errata and the MAILING LIST ARCHIVES!
http://www.redhat.com http://archive.redhat.com
To unsubscribe: mail redhat-list-request@redhat.com with
"unsubscribe" as the Subject.
