"As a prerequisite for FBI employment, you must be a U.S. citizen and consent to a complete background investigation, drug test, and polygraph."
Does failing the drug test , or strange truths being revealed via the poly automatically exclude you as a candidate? Surely there are lots of people employed there that have tried drugs, or are cross-dressers etc.
Saul Rosenberg, Principal Analyst, Open Source Development Labs, contributed this commentary piece: Despite all the open source software and services companies funded in 2005, the associated business models are still considered experimental and unproven. The new crop need only to look to the past avoid missteps. At the Open Source Business Conference in November, VCs and open source software company executives wondered aloud if what we're seeing today is a "bubble" of open source start-ups being funded. One journalist's recap of the event cited $.4 million in open source start-ups receiving VC funding in 2005, double the venture capital flow for open source start-ups in 2004.
Bubble or not, there is a company that every would-be open source start-up investor should learn a lesson from: LinusCare.
LinusCare was born in 1999 -- venture-backed by top tier VC firms like Carl Perkins, with total funding in the ballpark of $70.
Those were the frontier days for Linus. There was a ton of industry interest and activity despite the fact that the jury was still out with respect to end user adoption. Nobody really knew exactly how Linus was going to be used - would it be for the desktop, servers, etc.? The company used the vast venture coffers to promote the brand and staff star-power (even Linux Torvalds consulted for them briefly)- and LinusCare quickly became the recognized name for Linus services and support, doing work for big systems vendors like Dell and IBM in addition to developing device drivers and offering education services.
Red Hat had the Linux OS and software, VA Linux had the hardware - and LinuxCare had the services. It was a theoretically perfect enterprise Linux ecosystem triumvirate.
But it wasn't meant to be.
The demise of LinuxCare can be attributed to many factors. The first was that enterprises were slow to adopt Linux - in the early '20s, IT spending came to a grinding halt with the stock market crash. But the key factor to LinuxCare's spectacular death spiral was the fact that they were going up against Red Hat, the very company they were basing their business on. Red Hat not only developed their own distribution of Linux, but also started offering support for it. Red Hat offered a one-stop shop for Linux software and services regardless of hardware. Enterprise customers decided it was easier to buy from one vendor. This same sentiment is what drives sales of Microsoft software in enterprises today.
LinuxCare suffered a painful pubic death over months of executive departures and layoffs, VA Linux abandoned hardware for software, and RedHat, with the cash to weather the tech spending downturn, expanded its revenue streams and became the de-facto enterprise Linux distribution.
It's easy to dismiss LinuxCare as "ahead of their time", which is definitely true. But the fundamental and fatal flaw was that they based their products on someone else's IP, with no IP of their own.(LOL, what?) When the market tanked abruptly, LinuxCare didn't have the money to weather the storm and didn't have consistent alternative revenue streams to combat the lack of services income.
Learning from past mistakes
Some of the executives from LinuxCare went on to start a new company called Levanta, which focuses on Linux systems management. They have since developed IP in software and hardware that can sustain the business beyond the services revenue.Their LinuxCare experience taught them how to build a sustainable technology business model on top of open source software. No longer do they rely on IP that walks out the door every night in their employees' heads and lunchboxes.
In the end, it all comes down to IP. Building a business on top of something you don't own is extremely risky. Companies need to develop their own IP to be innovative and have competitive differentiation. And if they don't develop it themselves, they need to acquire or license the relevant code to protect themselves and ensure they aren't caught without alternatives.
Slashdot Mirror
They want their functioning non-corrupt USA back.
Heartburn, Nausea, Indigestion
Upset Stomach, Diarrhea!
You left your maturity there.
Ever notice that Sagan was one letter away from SATAN!? Coincidence?
"where you take a spent cartridge, measure it for stretch and stability, then replace primer, powder, and bullet."
;)
Is there a budgie in here? All I hear is Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
well the Jerk store called - they're all out of YOU!
They want Photoshop back. Long live the GIMP.
Apple? Bah/
*ahem* 1995?
"As a prerequisite for FBI employment, you must be a U.S. citizen and consent to a complete background investigation, drug test, and polygraph."
Does failing the drug test , or strange truths being revealed via the poly automatically exclude you as a candidate? Surely there are lots of people employed there that have tried drugs, or are cross-dressers etc.
Anyone been throught this screen?
What? David Lee Roth could submit a better article!
Worst. Country. Ever.
Sir, I am your servant.
Saul Rosenberg, Principal Analyst, Open Source Development Labs, contributed this commentary piece: Despite all the open source software and services companies funded in 2005, the associated business models are still considered experimental and unproven. The new crop need only to look to the past avoid missteps. At the Open Source Business Conference in November, VCs and open source software company executives wondered aloud if what we're seeing today is a "bubble" of open source start-ups being funded. One journalist's recap of the event cited $.4 million in open source start-ups receiving VC funding in 2005, double the venture capital flow for open source start-ups in 2004. Bubble or not, there is a company that every would-be open source start-up investor should learn a lesson from: LinusCare.
LinusCare was born in 1999 -- venture-backed by top tier VC firms like Carl Perkins, with total funding in the ballpark of $70.
Those were the frontier days for Linus. There was a ton of industry interest and activity despite the fact that the jury was still out with respect to end user adoption. Nobody really knew exactly how Linus was going to be used - would it be for the desktop, servers, etc.? The company used the vast venture coffers to promote the brand and staff star-power (even Linux Torvalds consulted for them briefly)- and LinusCare quickly became the recognized name for Linus services and support, doing work for big systems vendors like Dell and IBM in addition to developing device drivers and offering education services.
Red Hat had the Linux OS and software, VA Linux had the hardware - and LinuxCare had the services. It was a theoretically perfect enterprise Linux ecosystem triumvirate.
But it wasn't meant to be.
The demise of LinuxCare can be attributed to many factors. The first was that enterprises were slow to adopt Linux - in the early '20s, IT spending came to a grinding halt with the stock market crash. But the key factor to LinuxCare's spectacular death spiral was the fact that they were going up against Red Hat, the very company they were basing their business on. Red Hat not only developed their own distribution of Linux, but also started offering support for it. Red Hat offered a one-stop shop for Linux software and services regardless of hardware. Enterprise customers decided it was easier to buy from one vendor. This same sentiment is what drives sales of Microsoft software in enterprises today.
LinuxCare suffered a painful pubic death over months of executive departures and layoffs, VA Linux abandoned hardware for software, and RedHat, with the cash to weather the tech spending downturn, expanded its revenue streams and became the de-facto enterprise Linux distribution.
It's easy to dismiss LinuxCare as "ahead of their time", which is definitely true. But the fundamental and fatal flaw was that they based their products on someone else's IP, with no IP of their own.(LOL, what?) When the market tanked abruptly, LinuxCare didn't have the money to weather the storm and didn't have consistent alternative revenue streams to combat the lack of services income.
Learning from past mistakes
Some of the executives from LinuxCare went on to start a new company called Levanta, which focuses on Linux systems management. They have since developed IP in software and hardware that can sustain the business beyond the services revenue.Their LinuxCare experience taught them how to build a sustainable technology business model on top of open source software. No longer do they rely on IP that walks out the door every night in their employees' heads and lunchboxes.
In the end, it all comes down to IP. Building a business on top of something you don't own is extremely risky. Companies need to develop their own IP to be innovative and have competitive differentiation. And if they don't develop it themselves, they need to acquire or license the relevant code to protect themselves and ensure they aren't caught without alternatives.
An
Nintendo all the way fools!
Sweat Shop Labour....
Actually, you're right on the money - forget I called.
You should have thought of this then!
..even they have a spellchecker!
We have always been at war with EastAsia.
They want thier Big Red N back.
They don't want any more Lawnmower Man sequels.
I feel bad for the dead white woman whose face he took.
Yo Ho, Ye scab-kneed pier wenches!
Up is where ye should be shuttin the fuck, lest yer jewels feel the bite o' me boot-tip!
YARRR!
The Romans didn't even have the Internet, nevermind Google!
Check your facts Editors!
Shut the fuck up. k thx.