... make developing nations dumber: I don't think so. If anything the truly visionary governments will encourage the growth of the open source movement within their borders. This is not because open source software is exceptionally better but because open source (as a movement), deemphasizes code as a source of revenue which is good for business in the long run. In the long run, selling software is inherently self-contradictory: - Improved quality means that users can comfortably use older versions hence avoid/withhold paying for a new upgrade; the general talk is that Windows Vista is bad but then again Windows XP is adequate (competing with your own products will affect revenue). The better the software becomes, the more satisfied users are with older software - they may want to use it for longer periods, regardless of any new releases - As a software firm starting out: success will come with a large user base so anti-piracy measures will most likely limit adoption That said, if a proprietary company already has dominance, they may be able to slow down the effect of selling software. However this is not asily done as open source software can just as well become competitive in their own right (ref: Firefox). Contrast the above with a setup where access to the code and binaries does not affect revenue flow that much. The nature of competition and cost (distribution and marketing for example) of running a software company may change. It helps to see open source as a movement and depending on the license chosen, it is not an all-or-nothing proposition either: both proprietary (closed-source) and open source companies can participate in the movement. The best part is that market dominance is determined by product and service quality. My two cents. On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 8:46 AM, aki <aki275@googlemail.com> wrote:
Not to provoke any nerves etc and am just wondering aloud. As I see tech things evolve each day or month, I kind of get the impression Open Source will be a cause of a lot of misery, especially where it is involved in many versions and platforms. I think eg FreeBSD holds the Open Source key to future stability and development and should be the way forward for a single platform approach.
Why are we creating modern type writers by running Open Source on laptops and desktops?
me mid-week thots... :-)
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