Open Source Pioneer Michael Tiemann On Open Source Business Success

ectoman (594315) writes Opensource.com has a summary of an interview with Michael Tiemann, co-founder of Cygnus Solutions and one of the world's first open source entrepreneurs. Now VP of Open Source Affairs at Red Hat, Tiemann offers an historical perspective on what makes open source businesses successful, and shares how he dealt with the open source movement's early skeptics. "A lot of the skepticism is a response to the abstract; it's a response to the unknown," Tiemann says, "And when you bring a concrete success story with just absolutely stellar credentials that doesn't just outperform the field, but embarrasses the field, then the skeptics begin to look like they're on the wrong side." The full audio interview on Hacker Public radio (~1 hour).

Comments

Still a hurtle

[Charliemopps]

I'm a big proponent of open source, but I still have yet to have anything but small victories. I've gotten a few small tools and such approved. But getting executives to "bet" on large, enterprise applications that could sink the company if they go south? Not going to happen yet. As far as they're concerned the softwares maintained by a team of teenagers in their parents basements. They can get binding contracts that state the goals and future of commercial software. We've a lot of evidence that those contracts are rarely abided by, but at least you can sue someone and have a scapegoat when that happens. But with open source, they fear everyone could just up and quit tomorrow leaving them hanging.

I don't have a solution to that perception problem, but it's the single biggest problem I have in selling Open Source to executives. Figure that one out, and commercial software will be dead tomorrow.

Re:Still a hurtle

[serviscope_minor]

They can get binding contracts that state the goals and future of commercial software.

No they can't at least not across the board. There are plenty of companies that smiply outright won't do that (e.g. Microsoft).

ut with open source, they fear everyone could just up and quit tomorrow leaving them hanging.

As opposed to companies which never go bust.

We've a lot of evidence that those contracts are rarely abided by, but at least you can sue someone and have a scapegoat when that happens.

Well, that's also pointless: very few companies would ever sign a contract which makes them liable for anything but direct costs. A big company with proper lawyers would never ever do that. A small company could probably be cajoled into it, but what's the point? They'd basically fold about 15 seconds after they've maxed out their insurance if sued by a large company.

I don't have a solution to that perception problem, but it's the single biggest problem I have in selling Open Source to executives.

Tell them commercial software has exactly the same problems, because in truth, it does.

If they mention the teenager in the basement thing, ask them if IBM is a teenager in its parent's basement.