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Apache Incorporates
Progman writes "The Apache Group today announced the creation of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), read their press release.
" It seems as though Apache is formally incorporated now, and the ASF will be a legal umbrella for Apache
and other projects. Congrats to Brian and all the others!
I would be shocked if anything of the sort occured. Can a nonprofit even go public? (What's the point? Who would be interested in the stock of a company not wanting to make money?)
Actually this is not true, only individuals can be members, and if you follow the link to the particular individuals home page, it claim that he works for c2net. Maybe it is a joke.
One David attacking one Goliath might be able to win with one stone, but several thousand Davids with several thousand stones against one Goliath presents much better odds in Davids' (the plural possessive...) favor.
We've seen where Apache and Samba need to work to combat the recent series of benchmarks, now let's get to work.
In the previous 'full frontal assault on Apache' article, the current top posting (http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=99/06/30/1310 254&cid=26) makes some excellent points. One being that MS can try and squash Apache, as it is not a corp...
Makes me wonder if this maneuver, then, is not intended to secure some legal protection against preditory behavior by M$...
Anyone familiar enough with legalize to lend some creedence to this?
-- What you do today will cost you a day of your life.
The level of paranoia here is amazing.
Just because apache is incorporating doesn't mean they are on their path to becoming a big bad corporation. It doesn't mean an IPO is around the corner or any of that.
They are incorporating as a non-profit. This is not necessarily a good or a bad thing, but it does mean that people are doing what it takes to get to the next level.
Some of the outcomes I see.
1. It becomes easier for commercial companies to contribute. They may be able to write their cash and in kind contributions off on their taxes. At the very least, it should make their accounting a bit more straightforward.
2. It also makes it easier to take cash contributions. The ASF can take cash and do their own hiring, rather than working with donated time.
There are bad things that can happen as well, but they could happen anyway, so I am not going to bother listing them.
Of course, eventually someone will not like the direction that the Apache group is going and will create a new distribution (ala Linux) with a different aim.
I don't think that this will actually affect Apache development in any way, the code will remain under the BSD license.
Rather, the ASF was obviously formed to create a supporting organization for Apache and its sister projects (mod_perl, PHP, ...)
So in effect it is much like the Free Software Foundation and Software in the Public Interest. It just hasn't got its nonprofit status yet.
--
Midgard Project - Open Source CMS
Open source changes the rules of software business. Specifically, it destroys software as a business. It promotes service as a business.
When you guarantee to show your source, it is hard to make a proprietary protocol. Others can see it and reimplement it. The only lock in you will get is the lock in of having the plain old best product.
--The basis of all love is respect
With Apache incorporating, Sendmail gone corp last year, Mozilla a flop, Linux splintering into different distributions catching up with Red Hat (yes yes, flame me for that...), what's left that is a major force on the 'Net, yet still run non-corporate? Elm? BIND? NNTP? How long until the NNTP folks form Usenet.com.corp?
/. reports MS will attack Apache, /. also reports that Apache is incorporating.) People are incorporating to establish their authority before Big Dogs can move in on it. I think these are just more and more ripples from the death of Netscape. That was truly a changing point in the history of the 'Net as we know it.
We are hitting the third generation of the 'Net here, folks. The game is no longer the garage. The new rule is to incorporate as a defensive, rather than offensive move, it seems. (I find it funny that on the same day
[I fear this signals the end of kickass major infrastructure programs being developed mostly for free by mostly unpaid people.
Not that I'm one to talk...]
I love Apache server and the whole idea, but now it makes me wonder if they are up to something to fit their new "Incorporated" status, like IPO *yucks*. Although after prisons started considering their prisoners as customers, I am no longer surprised to read about these things.
Calm down. Everyone has customers, and it's very nice to see that the Apache folks realize who their customers are despite the fact that we don't give them any money. It's always good to see a group like this, that has given so much to the community and not asked for anything in return, and see that they understand that once you start a project like this (Apache) it takes on a life of its own and you need to keep supporting it, not drop it on the floor because it's not making you any money.
Who are your customers? Everyone's got 'em. It's obvious if you're selling something, but that doesn't mean that just because you're not taking someone's money, that you don't have customers. If you're working on a help desk in a large organization, it might be the people that you support. If you maintain a web site (even a small one), it might be the people who view it.
Know who your customers are. It lets you do your job better.
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"The details of my life are quite inconsequential..."