Google And Open Source

Nate writes "Former Slashdot editor, games programmer and consultant Chris DiBona talks about his new work at Google in a brief interview over at Linux Format. Most notably, DiBona points out that Google wants to follow IBM's lead in not attempting to control open source, and he also highlights the reasons why Google will never be a 100% open source company." From the article: "So I don't see the word 'sponsorship' as being appropriate. Because sponsorship also implies stewardship. We don't want to run open source, that's not who we are. I have to tell you, I've admired how IBM has gone about this. They've for the most part not screwed up: they haven't taken things over, they haven't managed to break anything, they've done a lot of good work. We're not going to use that as a model for what we want to do, because we're different companies, but I really want to get code out there, I don't want just... money. Money's not enough."

Comments

Money

[saboola]

I don't want just... money. Money's not enough.


He can PayPal me any of it he does not want. I could sure as hell use it.

Re:Money

[biocute]

The way I read it:

I don't want just... money. [I want power and control too]

Money's not enough. [It's never enough, I want more]

complete the quote!

[Anonymous Coward]

> I don't want just... money. Money's not enough.

What he means is that he wants power, prestige, and chicks!

Seriously, what happens when money's not enough? You go for power (politics), and then you get caught in a scandal with some chicks, and it all comes crashing down. It's happened too many times.

SCO Sues Google

[Anonymous Coward]

This just in: The SCO Group has launched a lawsuit vs Google after reading on Slashdot that Google plans to follow the examples of IBM in open source. Says SCO CEO Darl McBride, "Clearly this shows that Google has donated confidential SCO code to Linux. Now with these two major companies causing such infractions, the price of Linux licenses has to be increased to $1398." This lawsuit has prompted one Pamela Jones to create a new site entitled Googlaw. SCO representatives have alerted us that they will be employing Maureen O'Gara to search for links between Google and Ms. Jones. Says Ms. O'Gara, "Well, the evidence is right here. Just as Google's offices reside in America, so does Pamela Jones." Google's lawyers could not be reached for comment as they were too busy rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

Open Source, Schmopen Schmource...

[RobotRunAmok]

Tell him to post a new slashdot poll for old times sake.

Hell, just tell ANYONE to post a new slashdot poll; that most-used-key-combo thing has been up there since LAST Valentine's Day...

new name

[syrinx]

Oh, I thought "Google and Open Source" was going to be the new name for Slashdot.

I should have known that was wrong.. if that were happening, it'd have to be "Google, Apple, and Open Source".

It's not that he doesn't want the money

[jd]

It's that money isn't enough. He wants the rest of the Universe as well. However, I would like to offer my services in any experiment to prove whether money really is enough.

I thought Page Rank was open source??

[filesiteguy]

Okay, I'm confused. I thought Page Rank was an OSS project.

And then there are other things. We're never going to release PageRank [Google's trademark system for ranking web pages in its search index], we're not going to release things like that, because to release them would ruin them. If you release how you do the ranking function, suddenly every web scrambler in the world screws up the rank and Google search becomes useless. We don't want to do that.

Now, if you recall, Google publishes EXACTLY how the Page Ranking works: http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html/

It is all right there:

As a Google user, you're familiar with the speed and accuracy of a Google search. How exactly does Google manage to find the right results for every query as quickly as it does? The heart of Google's search technology is PigeonRank(TM), a system for ranking web pages developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University.

Am I wrong?

What?

[SnarfQuest]

they haven't managed to break anything, they've done a lot of good work. We're not going to use that as a model for what we want to do,

That doesn't sound promising.