Slashdot Mirror
Blender Goes Open Source
Christoffer Green writes "
This morning, the NaN shareholders have reached an agreement on the conditions for a new future for Blender.
In general it means that the Blender Foundation can execute it plans, to continue developement as an open source project." Perhaps some ambitious
soul will bolt a reasonable interface onto the 3D app.
Hmm, it seems that the possibility to nan to earn money with blender is finally gone.
Will Linux Survive?
The first question at which consultants look regards Linux's viability. Under one interpretation, one can easily see behind the hype Linux receives and ask about revenue. For example, if an analyst looks at Red Hat's revenues versus market capitalization the imbalance becomes obvious. Similarly, Cobalt Networks suffers the same problem. A revenue model that appears viable hasn't presented itself. Commercial Linux companies do not command the revenue generation which should correlate to the attention they receive. This makes one wonder if Linux has viability.
Rumors abound regarding how well Compaq, IBM, Dell and Siemens have done with Linux. For example, Siemens has taken a leading role with SAP in porting R/3 to Linux. They gave it the highest benchmark ever achieved. Yet, colleagues of mine in Berlin tell me the policy internally at Siemens prevents anyone from using Linux. As one of my associates said, "they threatened to fire anyone who plugged anything but Microsoft into the ethernet."
Another associate at IBM told a group of us that Lotus refused to provide the source code to the Notes Client to the Linux team. The Linux team wanted it so they could use it on their laptops. Since Notes is the only mail client IBM allows, the Linux team felt compromised. One of the Linux developers found the source code to the AIX client and ported it to Linux. It worked so well that the AIX team ported back and achieved improved performance. One has to wonder why Lotus refuses to release the ported Notes client for Linux.
How Much Can Linux Grow?
Another question globals have to ask in analyzing Linux involves its ultimate market penetration. How big is the potential Linux market? Under one interpretation, one can easily say that the Linux market pales in comparison to other UNIX systems, to the IBM midsize market and to Windows NT/2000. Unlike Sun's Solaris operating system or HP-UX, no specific processor depends on Linux for its existence. As far as growth the market potential for Linux doesn't show up on the radar screens of large consulting firms.
To gain a sense of perspective, compare the revenues of Sun Micro Systems, a leading UNIX company, at $11 billion to the entire Linux industry which might have to stretch to reach $200 million. One has to question the demand for Linux in terms of offering real world solutions instead of its appeal as an alternative to Microsoft. What would compel a global consulting firm like Andersen to organize a department around Linux? Certainly a firm as clever as Andersen wouldn't adopt Linux because of the backlash effect to Microsoft's branding as a monopoly.
The Empty Bench Ultimatum
What's the demand for Linux consultants in the marketplace? How much would someone with Linux skills command? Global consulting firms employ individuals with specific skill sets that they can market at a profit. For example, one might have excellent project management skills. A large firm would pay such an individual $100,000 per year or about $50 per hour. The firm would then find someone needing a project manager and bill them out at $125 per hour.
Even small informational technology firms, like IT Partners, earn a living by paying someone less than they charge. For example, if I had 20 people billing 40 hours per week and I made $10 a hour off of each one, my revenue would be $8,000 per week or $34,640 per month. Consulting firms call this leveraging personnel. Others might call it a racket but the demand exists and companies willingly pay the going rate.
Information technology firms do face a significant risk if they can't deploy all their consultants. For example, a firm in the industry must recruit and pay high costs of acquiring consultants. If a consultant doesn't bill, then it could take three or more billable consultants to cover the cost of the idle one. Two people on the bench could hurt a branch's profitability. Ten non-billing consultants could put a mid-size firm below breaking even. This is a predicament firms like Cap Gemini America face everyday.
Consulting firms hire resource managers to make certain all billable consultants stay billable. People say that the resource manager must manage the bench. Ultimately, that means the bench should remain empty.
With an empty bench ultimatum facing every branch manager in every large consulting firm, the incentive to hire Linux consultants and then find them positions remains low. For every request made for a Linux programmer, a branch manager would rather say no than have one on the bench for any length of time. What would you rather have, ten SAP consultants bringing in $175 per hour or ten Linux consultants billing $65 an hour?
You flame so hard, I can only assume you are gay.
I said, "Bender?" hehe. Darn my eyes.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Who are you? The typical slashdot reader that is. Don't you have a job somewhere or are you all still in school?
The past couple of years almost all IT-related industry have gone through a massive massacre. Lots of people have lost huge investments, not least the public who have invested (often indirectly) in different kinds of tech-companies. Lots of people have lost their jobs and lifesavings.
Every time a company is cut to pieces and gives up like this (you DO understand thats the reason they are doing this, right?) you all chear like it's the best that has ever happened.
Whats wrong with you? Is it really THAT fun that a business fail?
If you indeed are still in school, don't you need a job when you get out? Failing companies are NOT in any way good news!
penis!