"Would you like the code driving the autopilot of the plane you're in to be open-source?"
It already is used in medical equipment (patient monitors, delivery systems, etc.), aeronautics, and numerous other mission critical apps world wide.
I couldn't figure out how to post a new comment, so I thought I'd tag this on to yours as it is a sign that open source has been embraced my much of the corporate world for years AND a certain hold out is scrambling to play catch-up (reminiscent of the browser wars, only this time there are 1,000s of 'Netscapes' who are already very well established and profitable, in place).
Only a few of the numerous examples available:
Google
http://code.google.com/opensource/
Adobe
http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/site/Home
IBM
http://www-03.ibm.com/linux/opensource/
Yahoo! (MSFT is threatening to go to stockholders directly they want 'in' so bad)
http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/
(all of these and more large, commercial, entities have open-source research and development projects and sponsor other open-source projects and programs)
And, the 'icing on the cake'
http://port25.technet.com/
Microsoft's recently launched Open Source site
And, then there's the whole 'server' thing and Vista fiasco (those MSFT memos were a laugh riot).
I have three girls all 'raised' with Windows 2000 - 2007. When they were 10, 11 and 12 I started using Ubuntu w/Gimp, Open Office, and a variety of other productivity apps. I had built a few websites for school activities/groups using Joomla and while they all thought they were 'awesome', they had not realized they were not Windows-based, until relatively recently.
They would balk at using "mom's old PC with Linux" - that is, until they really had to start using a PC for projects requiring more than Word Processing/simple apps that were interoperable, flexible, fast and with more sophisticated features (Middle School and High School is when this really became an issue).
After having "mom's old PC with Linux" save them from not being able to complete their projects more than a few times (after Windows issues (version differences, software limitations, Vista-crash-burn/compatibility issues, media/format issues, etc.)) they quickly began appreciating open source.
The upside is that they can save their project work in just about any format using the Ubuntu machine. They can create just about anything using it. They can be confident that when they get to school to present it/turn it in it will actually work/be available/and in the format they intended.
The downside is that now their friends come here when they can't get something done on their Windows PCs and the girls are on my machine so much, I rarely can get on it if they are at home.
So, over the next few weeks I will have to backup two of our Windows machines and install Ubuntu and apps. I'm going to install Hardy on one as my son says it is "awesome" and has not had any issues with it since installing it a few months ago.
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"Would you like the code driving the autopilot of the plane you're in to be open-source?" It already is used in medical equipment (patient monitors, delivery systems, etc.), aeronautics, and numerous other mission critical apps world wide.
I couldn't figure out how to post a new comment, so I thought I'd tag this on to yours as it is a sign that open source has been embraced my much of the corporate world for years AND a certain hold out is scrambling to play catch-up (reminiscent of the browser wars, only this time there are 1,000s of 'Netscapes' who are already very well established and profitable, in place). Only a few of the numerous examples available: Google http://code.google.com/opensource/ Adobe http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/site/Home IBM http://www-03.ibm.com/linux/opensource/ Yahoo! (MSFT is threatening to go to stockholders directly they want 'in' so bad) http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/ (all of these and more large, commercial, entities have open-source research and development projects and sponsor other open-source projects and programs) And, the 'icing on the cake' http://port25.technet.com/ Microsoft's recently launched Open Source site And, then there's the whole 'server' thing and Vista fiasco (those MSFT memos were a laugh riot).
I have three girls all 'raised' with Windows 2000 - 2007. When they were 10, 11 and 12 I started using Ubuntu w/Gimp, Open Office, and a variety of other productivity apps. I had built a few websites for school activities/groups using Joomla and while they all thought they were 'awesome', they had not realized they were not Windows-based, until relatively recently.
They would balk at using "mom's old PC with Linux" - that is, until they really had to start using a PC for projects requiring more than Word Processing/simple apps that were interoperable, flexible, fast and with more sophisticated features (Middle School and High School is when this really became an issue).
After having "mom's old PC with Linux" save them from not being able to complete their projects more than a few times (after Windows issues (version differences, software limitations, Vista-crash-burn/compatibility issues, media/format issues, etc.)) they quickly began appreciating open source.
The upside is that they can save their project work in just about any format using the Ubuntu machine. They can create just about anything using it. They can be confident that when they get to school to present it/turn it in it will actually work/be available/and in the format they intended.
The downside is that now their friends come here when they can't get something done on their Windows PCs and the girls are on my machine so much, I rarely can get on it if they are at home.
So, over the next few weeks I will have to backup two of our Windows machines and install Ubuntu and apps. I'm going to install Hardy on one as my son says it is "awesome" and has not had any issues with it since installing it a few months ago.