I don't like weird commercial hybrids
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| IGnatiusTFoobar Jan 04, 2006 8:40 AM EDT |
Either open the source completely or don't play. You take something, you give something back, and that's how the open source community works. The idea of "using" the open source community as a source of free development manpower is disgusting. It's funny that you mention groupware, because as a groupware developer I've observed this exact tactic in several projects in this area which only give lip service to open source. Open Xchange, Zimbra, and others, basically started with all sorts of existing open source components, then layered their own proprietary stuff on top. Without the open source components, their products are useless. Without their proprietary layer, their products are useless. Where is the benefit? It's even worse when you see a product that is failing in the marketplace (such as Novell's NetMail) being opened up as a last-ditch effort to turn abandonware into a viable product. Use the open source community's energy, but retain the rights to sell a proprietary version. Again, it's disgusting. Just open the source. Period. Let the open source community do what it does best: produce quality software efficiently. |
| dthacker Jan 04, 2006 11:11 AM EDT |
Iggy, how would you rate MySQL? They're releasing the source, most of their developers are on staff, but they sell a propietary license. Just curious. Dave |
| Teron Mar 18, 2006 9:50 AM EDT |
Or Linspire, for that matter? At least according to Kevin Carmony, the only proprietary app Linspire has is the CNR client, and that's it. They polish the programs in their CNR repositories and make the source downloadable to anyone for free. They sponsor multiple FOSS projects, such as Gaim. Would you have them quit the market? |
| chappaquachap Mar 18, 2006 2:13 PM EDT |
What is wrong with a " commercial hybrid"? Open Source Software (OSS) can be used by any individual, organization or company as long as they respect the license terms. A company is as free to use it as an individual. |
| helios Mar 18, 2006 8:28 PM EDT |
" commercial hybrid"? It seems to me that a company or entity that has the best of both worlds should be able to produce the absolute best product in it's rank or catagory. One would think. As an example, Xandros; a fine commerical distribution that touts itself as the "real" drop-in replacement for XP does a pretty good job. Why only pretty good? It fails where many distros fail but fails almost completely where some succeed. Wireless connections. Don't take my word for it. The forums at Xandros are littered with dead end posts about Xandros' failure to make many wireless cards work well. PClinuxOS picked up the card, Mepis and Ubuntu picked it up. Xandros found its place face down in the muck in this catagory. I still say that if you possess the best of both worlds, your product should reflect it. As release of Xandros 4.0 hits the shelves, it has yet to achieve anything close to it. It's even worse when you see a product that is failing in the marketplace (such as Novell's NetMail) being opened up as a last-ditch effort to turn abandonware into a viable product. Use the open source community's energy, but retain the rights to sell a proprietary version. Again, it's disgusting. I think of Libranet when I read the first part of this paragraph. Not because it fit into the author's paradigm but because, to me, it was one of the few commercial Linux distributions that maintained an open source "feel". While doing that, it provided the community with a valuable tool that could generate the company an income. I see nothing wrong with that. If I perceive an appropriate level of value, then I loosen the purse strings and dispense cash with abandon. For companies that fit the above mold, I not only withhold any support, I encourage sites like LXer to erect a "Hall of Shame" to house such miscreants and publish their misdeeds within. Lobby4Linux will beging doing so at the beginning of the week. LXer has continued to captue the attention of readers world-wide. They have established themselves as fair and level-headed in their editorials and accurate in their reporting. I believe they could erect this Hall of Shame in a manner that does not reflect wild-eyed zealotry. |
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