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Evaluating Open Source
CowboyRobot writes "Jordan Hubbard cofounded FreeBSD and now oversees the Darwin implementation of BSD for Apple. He describes open source as 'finally being openly acknowledged as a commercial engineering force-multiplier and important option for avoiding significant software development costs.' And thus, companies need to know how to evaluate open source engineering as an option for them. In a new article titled Open Source to the Core, Hubbard goes through a typical open source adoption process."
Just in case the server crashes and burns (like they usually do),I have put up a mirror.h owpage&pid=151 is at http://mirrorit.demonmoo.com/r_7/acmqueue.com/modu les.php%3fname=Content&%3bpa=showpage&%3bpid =151
The mirror of http://acmqueue.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=s
Note to Mods: When I post mirrors, it's a best guess. I don't know for certain whether or not the site will go down!
Doesn't necessarily have to be at the expense of anything. Mainly, though, it can lead to more complicated development, especially during a transition period. Also, with the change in how technical support is handled, more problems can arise at that point. Basically, the best thing to do is check everything out as much as you can and be very prepared. A wide margin of error, especially in the time department, can lead to a great deal of success when making a potentially massive transition.
I am feeling fat and sassy
Darwin is open sourced. You can download it from
i n/
http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/darw
Aqua is NOT.
And at opendarwin you can find a x86 port of darwin.
Maybe a little better than seeing all of Microsoft's code open sourced, but don't count on seeing any of Apple's proprietary code. Sure, if we could see the source for everything, right now, we could accomplish awesome things. But what is the incentive for most any software company to release their code when it is almost solely the act of keeping it proprietary that generates their income? If you want to see real changes in commercial software in regards to general openness, then we need to see real changes in the global and local economic model.
I am feeling fat and sassy
"investigation, evaluation, adoption, and communication"
Isn't this true for just about every migration plans?
Investigate -- find out if this will do what you want it to do.
Evaluate -- dig deeper into the idea. Get a better feasibility study with numbers and monetary figures. Make cool looking presentations to the higher-ups that sign the checks.
Adoption -- this is where you SLOWLY incorporate the new with the old. Make sure everything is working well. People may have to do double-duty to work with both systems just so they can give it their blessing (that it all works properly). This is where you train a "core" group of support folks from each department so they burden you less.
Communication -- this really should be earlier on, before adoption. Find people who run this stuff already and communicate whether it may work for you too. See if you can get a "we'll help you through it" before you even adopt.
Again, this isn't anything strictly for Open Source. I'm sure there are nuances and cultures, yadda yadda yadda...but a good plan of action helps minimize risk with ANY project.
- Be prepared to become an expert on everything. If you have problems with component X, if no one in the community is interested in fixing it or if you're under time pressure, you'll have to fix it yourself. Also known as the "if you don't have a kernel expert on staff, you will eventually" rule.
- Almost nothing works the first time. OSS engenders infinite flexibility which eventually reaches infinite permutations. The plethora of configuration options to a large project's source can be very daunting. Everything interlocks with everything else for maximum flexibility which means more work up front to understand how the pieces fit together.
- Forget about binary portability. OSS is designed to support source code across platforms in the same way Windows is designed to support binary backwards compatilbity.
- Expect complexity and plan for it. OSS supports every platform under the sun which breeds extra complexity.
- Have lots and lots of patience.
Just my two cents from having developed embedded x86 and ARM Linux for the last two years.
I like the idea of Darwin, a free Unix-like OS specifically designed to work well on a Macintosh, and had hoped that it would be developed as a real and useful BSD but from what I can see, it is simply the core of Mac OS X and no one seems to be interested in making it useful OS on its own right.
Maybe things have changed since the last time I tried Darwin but there are a few problems with it, such as:
1. No partitioning/formatting options during install
2. No way to setup Airport
3. No way to add users/groups without knowing arcane NetInfo commands
4. Some commands do not make use of the full console dimensions; probably because no one wants to fix Termcap.
5. No security announcements lists or patches.
6. No binary releases have being generated since 7.0.1.
Furthermore, I have seen people who wanted to use Darwin as a server (on a remote Macintosh) told to use Mac OS X Server instead. It seems to me that this is the wrong attitude, that people should actually want Darwin to be useful as a server and and a Unix workstation. It is a shame.
Back in 60s and 70s, the era of huge collaboration that gaves us UNIX, Internet etc, everything was open sourced. Of course, the targeted audience who participated tended to be those in academia (outside the corporations that developed them). Guess what? Open source softwares was then and there and yes, it was viable enough to be an academic experiment and commercial at the same time. I think the only thing different now is that we have the same revolution with a wider audience and a sensibility that will sustain open source movement for a long time to come.
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