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No Competition Between Open and Closed Source?
techie writes "MadPenguin.org is highlighting the lack of competition between open and closed source applications. The author writes, 'Is there really the level of competition in the open source world that we see in the closed source world? This is something that has been stuck in my mind lately as I have been told so many times by closed source developers that by opening the code you are creating your own competition. Today, I'm here to explore this theory and hopefully prove why it's false.'"
Not really. I'm currently in the pre-alpha stage of a project to create a racing car simulation. There are two great projects in this area right now, torcs and rars. I've used both and I like them both, I have nothing against them. But I just thought that, first, I would like more emphasis on the physics simulation part that neither of those projects emphasize much, and, second, by starting my own project I would have a much better control on several other parts that I'd like to give more priority, such as network play, for instance.
Maybe nothing will come out of my project, after all I'm doing it in my spare time, but if I do eventually publish it, there will exist a third FOSS car racing simulation out there. OK, it will be more like a sixtieth or so, but most of the other projects are stopped at a rather preliminary stage. Take a quick browse through sourceforge and you'll see that there is no lack of competing pieces of software in the FOSS arena.
I for one chose GIMP over Photoshop, and am migrating from CorelDRAW to Inkscape. The comercial software hogs up the ram too much, and "calls home" nearly every time it's started to look for updates (which slow down the system when installed). The only thing I need now is Corel cdr format support on inkscape, then I can ditch Corel without sacrificing compatibility with the people I work with. Oh, and as soon as inkscape (or Karbon 14, perhaps) gets usable at a professional level, I can FINALLY ditch M$ Windows XP! Open source is really pwning commercial software that way.
Give Kashyyyk back to the Wookies
The same way that 90% of the articles make it to Slashdot: by making broad, controversial claims sure to spark click-through and reader responses which in turn garner more click-through and ad revenue. Most people don't read the articles anyway, so each new article posted is just a chance for people to regurgitate the same old arguments they've already had thousands of times with the same people winning with the same ideas.
Sure, take a look here. The first Linux kernel was released in October 1991. If you had any reservations about its shortcomings, you can still get fixes for those today.
Let's compare that to a closed source equivalent. In 1991 I bought a copy of Microsoft Windows 3.0 for $40. It had several bugs and I used their support service to complain. Their answer? Those bugs would be fixed in version 3.1. So I asked, when would they send me my version 3.1? Their answer: I could buy version 3.1 as soon as it came out. No, I said, I didn't want to buy version 3.1, I wanted the bugs in version 3.0, for which I had paid $40, fixed. I wasn't interested in paying $45 more to get the additional features in Windows 3.1, all I wanted was the Windows 3.0 for which I had paid $40 working correctly. Can't be done, was their answer.
Now, let's see again, how exactly do you define "service, support, AND legal responsibility"???
And you know what's the worse of it? Although they have, 16 years ago, disclaimed all responsibility for the bugs in Windows 3.0, its copyright won't expire for several decades... Oh, yeah, *LEGAL* responsibility, indeed!