Open Source: It’s the Community, Stupid!

In „Open Source: It’s the Community, Stupid!“ schreibt LinuxInsider über die Vorteile einer global vernetzten Freie Software – Community gegenüber Proprietärer Software:

Adam Smith would recognize open source for what it is: market dynamics interacting to seek equilibrium. When the one segment of the market demands an alternative or a solution to a problem, another segment responds.

If there is no response and the need is genuine, the segment seeking the solution finds the resources needed to solve the problem themselves. What invariably happens is that once the solution is exposed to others, people see ways to profit from that solution, or ways to integrate that solution as a component in a larger system.

The simple historical fact is that monopolies work in a completely different manner and can never be as nimble and responsive as a motivated and varied community of suppliers. Monopolies invariably try to create demand for the solutions they see as optimal for their corporate goals. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong, but rarely are they optimal.

Traditionelle Softwareentwickler und IT-Entscheidern wird der Tip gegeben, sich der Open Source – Welt anzupassen und daraus zu lernen oder zu sterben:

So, if you’re a traditional software developer, what should you do? Adapt or die. Learn to benefit from open source by combining proven solutions into more complex products. Learn to profit from your expertise rather than trying to tie clients into proprietary closed systems.

If you’re responsible for the IT deployments in your company, what should you do? Watch. Learn. Find solutions that fit your needs and integrate them in a logical and measured fashion. Move responsibly, but move. Save your firm some money and perhaps free up enough capital to get yourself a raise.