[100529] in RedHat Linux List
Re: The future of the OSS model: self-destruct?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Ramon Gandia)
Sat Nov 21 15:51:20 1998
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 11:47:20 -0900
From: Ramon Gandia <rfg@nook.net>
To: redhat-list@redhat.com
Resent-From: redhat-list@redhat.com
Reply-To: redhat-list@redhat.com
Lance Cummings wrote:
>
> My real question is how can I (or anyone) make any money from this software (OSS)
> model? .
> 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.
I think the ultimate outcome will be that Linux -the operating
system
and core utilities- will be OSS; that applications that run on it
will be variously OSS, Shareware and full-blown Commercial.
If you think about Microsoft for a bit, there is nothing wrong
with
their pricing on a lot of stuff. Microsoft Works, Word, etc. is
priced fairly. The big complaint about them is the "bundling",
and the coercion, and contracts to exclude competitors. There are
a few items not priced fairly, like NT, but that is all part of
the coercion scheme.
Assuming the predatory business practices of MS were stopped, I
for one would seriously consider buying their software; for
instance, I would be thrilled to buy Microsoft Works 5.5 for
Linux.
As it is, I haven't bought ANY MS software now for over three
years
other what Win95/98 itself, and that for customer support
purposes.
I vote with my wallet.
--
Ramon Gandia ==== Sysadmin ==== Nook Net ==== http://www.nook.net
285 West First Avenue rfg@nook.net
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