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Open Source and the "Xen" of Xen

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the not-all-roses dept.

willdavid writes "In a follow-up to his original look at what happened to Xen, Jeff Gould talks to XenSource CTO Simon Crosby. Usually we hear about how open source provides freedoms for end users. However, this article talks about the difficulty a small software developer has with an open source license, in particular, the need to prevent Red Hat, IBM or Novell from running away with all the business revenue."

3 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. As opposed to closed commercial software... by timeOday · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...where fending off Microsoft and IBM is a piece of cake.

  2. Can't have it both ways by bhmit1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think what we are seeing is the never ending desire to have the benefits of an open source model while still having the closed source control. Finding the right balance so that people use your product while still having a reason to pay for the upgraded version or support isn't easy. And what we seem to be seeing these days is that open source isn't leveling the playing field, but rather tilting the game towards the big players who can leverage lots of applications without paying for all of the developers. There's a value with knowing how to run a business that the big players are providing and the smaller developers will need to learn if they want to compete.

  3. Re:Leading Write Up by EveryNickIsTaken · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm outright shocked (and awed) that Microsoft wasn't mentioned as a villian. This has to be a first.