Notebook / Archives / "FOSS"

Via "OSNews" - “Enterprise and Server Software to Become Commodity”:
In "NewsForge: The Online Newspaper of Record for Linux and Open Source" - “There may never be another software billionaire”:

I think that the “restaurant business” is a good analogy for the “software business”. When you are creative and come with new ideas, really new ideas, you have your chance, a fighting chance at success. Nevertheless I know that there will always be opportunities in area close to software engineering. It's the reason why after I graduated from a computer science engineering school, I choosed to go on in the deep world of cognitive sciences: being wider, the next century might offer jobs for billionaires in this domain.

(On "Kuro5hin": “OpenXP: From Shareware to Free Software”):

Return of the living dead

OpenXP is a testimony to the open source model. An ancient DOS application which was already as good as dead was revived and became relevant again simply by being released as open source software. OpenXP now joins the fray of excellent mail/news software that is freely available (such as Ximian's Evolution, KDE's KMail, and the newsreader PAN). That makes you wonder how much other good old DOS software is out there that could be brought back to life.

This article mention the “gift economy”: “a gift economy means everything is free, but it also means that everyone - or almost everyone - must contribute”. A gift economy deals with synergy and reputation too, points which I think are problematic in open source software (partly). Maybe I will write more on my point of view someday.

Via "OSNews" - “Too Much Free Software”:
In “Too Much Free Software” (freshmeat.net editorial):

“The plethora of Free Software applications available today, none working perfectly, is a problem which stands in the way of major adoption of Linux on the desktop. In order to conquer the desktop, we have to stand united.”

Via Erik's Weblog (Monday, March 31, 2003 [@469]):
In "NewsForge: The Online Newspaper of Record for Linux and Open Source": “Open Source needs centralized PR, not development”:

I disagree with this idea that open-source projects must stop competing. Competition between developers leads to a creative process and, following darwinian laws, this process lets only the best projects survive.
I also disagree when the author is saying that freshmeat.net is “primarily useful to "inner circle" people who already use or work on open source software.” The search engine of freshmeat.net is very useful to find a project which can feet your needs, and only the knowledge of freshmeat.net's existence is necessary. In fact, it would be more useful to make a greater promotion of this wonderful “vital resource”!
And finaly, I do not think we need a “unified "Linux and open source public voice"”, IBM is already here (eveywhere?). The diffusion of the open-source spirit will result of the swarming penetration of open-source developers in companies and from education of individuals.

Via "OSNews" - “Is the GPL Completely Misunderstood?”:
Chris Davies wrote his point of view about the GPL in an editorial. Excerpt: “If you develop software that allows someone to make millions of dollars from your efforts, why should you not be entitled to some of that money?”. This sentence shall be linked with the growing numbers of interviews where we can read IBM flattering Linux open-source developers: the notoriety for the developers, the money for IBM...