Andreesssen: Why Open Source Will Boom - in 103 Words

An anonymous reader writes "You gotta love Marc Andreessen's 12 reasons why Open Source is set to boom: can anyone use fewer than 103 words and still adduce as many reasons as he does?"

Comments

Why Linux Will Boom - in 3 Words

[ChaoticChaos]

It's not Windows.

Re:Why Linux Will Boom - in 3 Words

[z_gringo]

We actually took this question to a Professor in the Education department.

We were concerned about Bon Jovi's song where he says "I'll be there for you. These five words I say to you". One person said "Ha leave it to Bon Jovi to screw that one up. It's six words." I however was convinced it was 5 words.

The whole thing got bigger than it needed to, but the professor didn't have an immediate answer.

After reviewing with some colleagues including 1 who was an attorney, the general consensus was that it was indeed 6 words. It's also a contraction, which is pronounced as 1 word, but if you diagram that sentence, you have to separate the subject and the verb.

Therefore, if you accept the decision of the Professors (and attorney), What we acutally have is Andreessen's "Why Linux will Boom in 106 words" due to the 3 contractions he used in his list.

Although, there is a good argument for either side..

Re:Why Linux Will Boom - in 3 Words

[Anonymous Coward]

$ echo It\'s not Windows. | wc -w
3

How dare you question the all knowing wc.

Not Impressed

[Anonymous Coward]

It would have been impressive if he did it in 100 words.

1 word counter-argument

[BillFarber]

inertia

Same 12 reasons as last year?

[Anonymous Coward]

And the year before, and the year before that, and so on? Or are these all new ones that we're going to start posting every year even though they never come true?

*yawn*

Hmm, I smell a slashdotting

[Anonymous Coward]

"The Internet is powered by open source."
"The Internet is the carrier for open source."
"The Internet is also the platform through which open source is developed."
"It's simply going to be more secure than proprietary software."
"Open source benefits from anti-American sentiments."
"Incentives around open source include the respect of one's peers."
"Open source means standing on the shoulders of giants."
"Servers have always been expensive and proprietary, but Linux runs on Intel."
"Embedded devices are making greater use of open source."
"There are an increasing number of companies developing software that aren't software companies."
"Companies are increasingly supporting Linux."
"It's free."

Re:Hmm, I smell a slashdotting

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not like suddenly in 2001 Bush took office and people just started having problems with America... do you really think it only took El-Qaida a few months to whip up their plans for 9/11?

This neatly illustrates the difference. Al-Quaida are anti-America. The dislike America and want to destroy it.

At the same time there are millions of people around the world who are anti-Bush. They dislike Bush and think his politics, especially international politicies, suck. These people are not anti-American and certainly do not sympathise or support Al-Quaida.

There are certain people in the US for whom it is beneficial to lump those of us who are anti-Bush alongside the anti-Americans. You don't need to help them by doing it yourself, though.

Re:Hmm, I smell a slashdotting

[Anonymous Coward]

Many of the arguments Bush made to go into Afghanistan and Iraq were made before him by Clinton to justify bombing Afghanistan and Iraq. All of the same justifications, all of the same outrage from foreign governments, but very different results because of the effectiveness of the very different approaches.

Right, but Clinton was also wrong. However he wasn't as consistently wrong and bone headed about it as Bush as proven himself to be, hence any "anti-Clinton" feeling was minimal compared to the current anti-Bush sentiment around the globe. It is this rise in ill-feeling towards the U.S leader which has been interpreted as anti-Americansim by U.S Conservatives in an effort to discredit what are largely valid complaints. Labelling someone who is complaing about your foriegn policy "anti-American" and placing them right next to Bin Laden himself is a great way to make your critics look bad.

Andreesssen - Why I'm an idiot in 103 words.

[His name cannot be s]

Wait a sec.

He tried these 12 steps With Netscape. Then this guy went and founded LoudCloud.

I'm not sure that we even want this guy giving us his support or opinon.

It's kinda like getting political backing from Nixon.

Feh.

Less than 103?

[AlaskanUnderachiever]

All Your Base Are Belong To Tux

Re:103 words? maybe it won't be slash.. for 30 min

[Paulrothrock]

Translation: You don't get thrown in jail for pirating open source products.

My reasons in WAY less than 100 words

[cmburns69]

Because it can be an enterprise level solution for free.

Re:Open source benefits from anti-American sentime

[SkArcher]

Basically, foreign governments don't want to spend money on Software when that money goes outside their own country - governments don't like upsetting their balance of payments themselves.

Using Open Source means that the money stays in the Local economy, not going to Redmond.

A lot of countries, particually in asia and the third world, don't like the economic dominance the US has and any chance to keep money in their own economy instead of owing it to the US is a good deal for them.

That is probably another reason for the increasing use of Linux in China, Israel, and even the EU.

Re:103 words? maybe it won't be slash.. for 30 min

[AllUsernamesAreGone]

There are a lot of people, even whole countries, who do not like America, what nothing to do with America and feel more than a little annoyed that the "standard" operating system is written, designed and funds and american company.

Guess what using OSS alternatives allows them to do?

Andreessen relevant how?

[JohnGrahamCumming]

Right, so he's such a big believer in this open source stuff that he runs a proprietary software company, Opsware. I mean what has this guy actually done that deserves a front page story connecting him with open source. He wasn't the one who decided (or even proposed) to open source Netscape Navigator; he's just a guy that got rich off of someone else's idea.

1. "The Internet is powered by open source."

Hello? Yes, Apache, Sendmail, BIND etc. are used extensively, but how about those Sun boxes and Cisco devices doing all the routing?

2. "The Internet is the carrier for open source."

I don't see how this means that OSS is going to succeed, it just seems like a fact. Anyhow RMS was doing Free Software using tapes and the USPS long before the Internet came along.

3. "The Internet is also the platform through which open source is developed."

True, but proprietary companies also use the Internet for development, so how is this important?

4. "It's simply going to be more secure than proprietary software."

Maybe.

5. "Open source benefits from anti-American sentiments."

Great. Thanks, so you manage to put Open Source and anti-American in a sentence. That's the last thing that OSS needs: "OSS developed by terrorists". Stop splitting the world into American and anti-American; it's not that simple, and surely the number of people who sit that and go "I'm going to develop this cool software because I hate America" must be tiny. Most of them are doing it for the glory.

6. "Incentives around open source include the respect of one's peers."

Yes, true.

7. "Open source means standing on the shoulders of giants."

I don't even understand this.

8. "Servers have always been expensive and proprietary, but Linux runs on Intel."

Hmm. Ever talk to IBM about running Linux on Big Iron? Not everything is Intel and if it were wouldn't that mean that Intel could charge whatever they like for a processor and make servers expensive again?

9. "Embedded devices are making greater use of open source."

Yes, they are.

10. "There are an increasing number of companies developing software that aren't software companies."

Oh man, this guy is out of touch. Go to any large organization (Shell Oil, JP Morgan, HBO, ...) and you'll find software developers developing stuff for internal use. In fact I'll wager that more LOC are written outside the "software business" than in it.

11. "Companies are increasingly supporting Linux."

Wow, the insights never stop.

12. "It's free."

Very unimportant. A far more important issue is TCO; if you can make a good TCO argument then a CIO is going to buy into it.

John.

Re:Open source benefits from anti-American sentime

[Ralph Yarro]

Foreign governments will tend to use Linux, and encourage their industries to use it, to avoid dependency on software from the evil USA?

Seriously though, governments would be well advised to avoid dependency on software so heavily subject to the control of any other country's government, it shouldn't depend on anti-American sentiment in particular.

Odd...

[fullofangst]

You must all be reading a different article to me.

I'm reading how OPEN SOURCE will boom in 5-10 years, not linux.

Do story submitters not read the articles either ?!

This could just as easily be 103 words about Apple

[adzoox]

1. Apple has a loyal fanbase that supports it "enough" to break even - make a profit
2. Apple has the iPod, the iSight, Quicktime, iTunes - all superior Mac and Windows implementations
3. Apple has the design prowess and the marketing genius to cater to just about any market segment they choose to go after - right now; audio - next; video
4. Apple has the appearance of support - most people don't know where to turn for Linux support
5. Macs can run Linux too
6. Apple has an immense support base on the internet
7. Mac OS X is a Unix derivitive - so everything mentioned in the 103 words pretty much applies to Apple.

There - exactly 103 words!

The "Last" OS

[davejenkins]

When I was walking into NEC a couple months ago with my ggod friend at Red Hat, I asked him why he worked at a Linux company. He told me, "Because it will be the last OS". It took me a while for that to really sink in-- but I think it has a stong chance at becoming true. Any major advances in security, compartmentability, portability, etc. will wind up in Linux. Even if they are developed in some subbranch or separate OS (QNX, Embedded, BSD), the features and code concepts could (and most likely will) find their way into Linux.

The only thing that would prevent such "Borgification" would be a superior kernel structure with a fundamentally different architecture. Sure, there will be one eventually, but the temptation to graft that into Linux will be too great, and "Linux" will most likely adapt, rather than get killed.

#5 explained

[originalhack]

Those of us in the US get angry enough about the heavy-handed way that Microsoft forces anything it chooses down the throats of users, the closed formats that require access to a Microsoft-based system in order to interoperate with some companies and government agencies, the concerns about an untrustworthy company deciding that they know better than the system's owner what should be done with a system, etc....

Now, imagine that a company you distrust that much is in bed with a government that cannot be trusted. A government that feels free to impose its will on anyone anywhere, and had no respect for anyones privacy. That requires little or no imagination these days. Now, imagine that it isn't even your own government. How would you feel?

Even true US patriots can see why any sane government would want to ensure that they rely only on OPEN computing systems instead of coverting their governments and populations into MicroSerfs.

Note: US patriots do not blindly agree with everything that the government says and does. Quite the opposite.

Re:One word counter counter argument

[The Almighty Dave]

Here's another one.

"Only a fool thinks price and value are the same." - Antonio Machado

Re:not trolling but..

[PainKilleR-CE]

The point is that if it isn't true, they're not necessarily reasons for Linux to be set to boom. Instead, they're reasons that will help an eventual boom if other things fall into place (and they are at the moment, but he didn't mention them). For instance:
1. Growing cost of software in relation to hardware (related to "it's free"
2. Growing anti-Microsoft-sentiment (in part related to his mention of anti-American sentiment)
3. Growing Internet use (related to his first 3 points)
4. Growing interest in security/coverage of Microsoft security problems (related to #4)
5. Growing interest in replacing expensive hardware and associated software and support contracts with inexpensive hardware that can easily be supported by any number of local individuals (related to #8, and makes the cheaper cost of software even more important in relation to my own #1)
6. The inherent flexibility and portability of open source (leading to #9, embedded (and other) devices making use of open source software)

Re:Windows is well docuements

[davegust]

Windows is very well documented, both for developers and users. The availble APIs are fully documented in a consistent manner, and Microsoft does an excellent job of making sure future operating systems properly support all documented APIs.

And for the sibling poster who claimed documentation is not free, check out the following links.

• MSDN Library
• Resrouce Kits
• Security Bulletins

I've been developing for Windows for 15 years and have never purchased API documentation. I used to purchase books for examples and ideas, but I haven't done as much of that over the last five years - online sites, both Microsoft sponsored and others, have filled the need.

No,

[2names]

anit-Americanism is largely fed by the fact the America has done way too much "side-hopping" in the past. We help people for a while, then stop. We bomb a country for a while, then send them aid. We are the most fickly nation in history. I don't like the French, but at least they are consistent in who they hate, which is everyone who isn't French.

Has he changed his tune?

[raincrow]

Two years ago, at my previous employer, I sat across the conference-room table from Mr. Andreessen while several of Loudcloud's salesmen and "sales engineers" literally shouted at me and the other developers and admins on the tech staff that our reliance on "shareware schemes" (the lead salesman's term for FOSS) was going to be our company's downfall and that we were fools not to let them save us. Six months later Loudcloud morphed into Opsware and got out of the enterprise hosting business. We hadn't signed their contract, either.

Maybe he was thinking counter to his salesforce even then, though that is giving him the benefit of some large doubt. I don't think he was actually thinking about anything in particular related to that meeting, since he spent most of his time checking information on his Blackberry and filling out a Federal security clearance application, and didn't participate in the meeting other than to sit there and look famous.

In any case, this story makes me laugh, only half-ruefully.

Also, since when is desire for control over one's computing systems 'anti-American sentiment' (point 5).

Re:One word counter counter argument

[AntonyBartlett]

In my opinion it is not a good day to be a software development shop.

On the other hand, it's probably a wonderful time to be offering consultancy on systems integration and how to best tailor particular open source programs to a clients needs.

Re:You're both right - wrong argument.

[soliptic]

and Great Britain is on our side

No. Tony Blair is on your side. The majority of sane British people think Bush is one of the biggest retards ever born, never mind definitely the biggest retard ever to hold office.

(Case in point, the other day he appeared on BBC News saying "There is no middle ground between good and evil". WTF? Even 8 year olds have a more sophisticated weltanschaaung than that! Somebody send the man to a high school Ethics lesson. Even 12 year olds, when presented with a classic 'moral quandry' scenario, notice within about 5 minutes that there is almost nothing but middle ground.)

OTOH, the majority of sane Brits probably also have a general affection for the American people, culture, etc, and an appreciation that democratic capitalism is the worst system - except for all the others. This was the same feeling before Bush, the same during Bush, and will be the same after him.