Slashdot Mirror
Matt Asay on the Status of OSS
OSS_ilation writes "An interview with OSBC director Matt Asay at SearchOpenSource.com gives some insight into where open source software (OSS) has been, is today, and where it hopes to be in the future. A common trend identified by Asay in the interview is that OSS has become very profitable. Asay also touched on the hot-button issue of where the GPL is headed, as well as how open source vendors shouldn't let high download rates give them a big head about the real validity of their projects."
If people use it, you can make money from it.
:-)
If people download it, it does not mean they are using it.
Funny, but I already knew that. Now I just have to find something people will use besides Video Fish
In the week that Nessus went closed source, spitting in the face of all those who helped the project thinking it was free software, let's hope that the Gnessus project (based on the last Free version of Nessus) takes off, and that the continuing-Free Snort and Nmap continue to flourish. The progress of Sourcefire and Snort will be particularly interesting to compare with that of Tenable (Renaud's company) since Marty Roesch has been clear that Sourcefire (his company) being bought by Checkpoint won't affect Snort, which will continue to be Free software under the GPL.
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." -- Goethe
Just because someone downloads music, doesn't mean they listen to the crap...
Proof by very large bribes. QED.
[I did RTFA, though it's entirely possible I missed something.]
Mr. Asay did not clarify the distinction between revenue from product sales and revenue from support and other services. He mentioned Red Hat as an example of an OSS company that is making money, but he didn't indicate how much of that money came from selling RHEL and other products vice the consulting, etc. that RH also offers. He alludes to it briefly when he says "OSS has trended toward examples like the Red Hat Network and the MySQL network" but leaves it at that.
This is not a slam on Asay, btw; it's just something I thought would make the article more useful.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Can anyone shed some light on Matt Asay's credentials and achievements? Has he made any significant open source contributions, be them in the form of code, documentation, icons, etc.? What is his background, and past involvement with the open source community. His name isn't one that rings a bell, so that's why I'm wondering who exactly he is.
Is he a master contributor such as Bruce Perens, or is he more of an Eric S. Raymond?
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
You may be taking the wrong lesson from that exchange.
how to invest, a novice's guide
It's because you're a troll and a total pest.
All moderators: nothing CyricZ ever posts has any real content. All of his posts are made to generate responses - sometimes he comes across as reasonable, at other times as needling and nosy, but always content-free. Please mod him -1, Troll.
Who cares? Free Software in the 1990's and 2000's has revitalized the hobby of computing and programming. If you are in development for the money, your in it for the wrong reasons. You won't last.
Ancient Greece?
Arr! The laws of physics be a harsh mistress!
I agree, nobody should be forced to contribute to an open source project. But then again, I think there is a certail level of honour that the developers of a larger project (such as KOffice or KDE) must show. That's not to say that they have to suck up to their users, or anything of that sort. What they should not do, however, is blatantly insult users in public while mentioning their contributions to said projects.
There's a minimum standard, and that particular developer sunk below it in that particular instance. Intentional or not, it did reflect poorly on the entire project, including all of those individuals who have been extremely helpful in the past. If anything, such insults are more disrespectful to those with the KDE project who have helped built its fantastic image, rather than to the person the insults were directed towards.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
When more than a select few companies (only three listed) prove to be capable of pulling a profit, then I'd call it a trend. But considering that most open source development teams pursue their software with little to no financing, it's far too early to even call this a trend. I'd call this the beginnings of a foundation that may begin to include other viable open source products.
For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
Comment removed based on user account deletion