Open Source: Do you love it or hate it?

Paul Parkinson's recent post Linux in Aerospace and Defense outlined some of the questions being raised about the adoption of Linux in missions critical applications. Of course as Linux has evolved over the last few years, its "suitability for purpose" has been questioned by just about everyone who has come into contact with it.

This analysis often leads to one of two outcomes as mentioned in Paul's post; you either love it or you hate it. However, it's interesting to note that this love or hate relationship often extends to the whole notion of open source in general.

These opposite views often manifest themselves on an individual level. An example of this is the wildly differing views of Richard Stallman, the founder of the GNU project and President of the Free Software Foundation, and Daniel Wallace who is primarily known for filing lawsuits against various free and open source organizations on the basis of price fixing.

Outside of these individual views it is interesting to note that entire organizations can also appear to become lovers or haters of open source. A recent blog entry by Jeff Kaplan (Thailand v. Philippines: Open Source Opposites?) outlined one such case. The two sides line up as follows:

• The Philippines Congress is to discuss a proposed Free Open Source Software (FOSS) Act which will mandate the use of open source software in Government and Educational establishments.
• Thailand's ICT Minister, Professor Sitthichai Pokai-udom has described open source code as being of low-quality and full of bugs. He also suggested that the lack of intellectual property rights associated with open source can lead to stagnation in software development.

Of course these establishment views are often actually the view of one or a few influential individuals viewed through the magnifying lens of government but its interesting nonetheless to see how, even on a world stage, open source software can incite division in the most unexpected of places.

But open source, like life, is not just about division and disagreement; sometimes bridges are built and agreements are made. An example is the subject of perhaps the most important open source news item of recent weeks, Microsoft and Novell's agreement to collaborate to improve the interoperability of Windows and Linux. This agreement has been viewed as a ground-breaking move forward in the evolution of open source which will ultimately see (Suse) Linux and Windows interoperate. Except, of course, that the majority of Linux commentators actually view it as simply a carefully crafted Microsoft strategy to fragment the open source community whilst making money in the process.

You see, in the open source world, even an agreement can cause disagreement.

Comments

[Jeff Kaplan]

Paul,

Thanks for including my blog posting in your excellent commentary on the disruptive impact (and divisiveness) of open source among companies and countries.

We are organizing a new phase of our Open ePolicy Group. Not sure if you are familiar with our global technology project. My blog includes some relevant links. And it may be something that WindRiver might be interested in getting involved with.

Jeff Kaplan
Founder & Director
Open ePolicy Group

[Paul Tingey]

Jeff

Many thanks your comment.

I downloaded your "Roadmap for Open ICT Ecosystems" and it makes fascinating reading. I find it particularly interesting how many of the principles and advantages of an open ICT ecosystem outlined in the document transfer directly into the Device Software domain. Across both sectors, Open Source has been, and continues to be, a disruptive force which many have learned to embrace but which others are still learning to deal with.

I will pass your links on to others in Wind River and I will encourage them to read your roadmap document.

Regards,

Paul

[Jeff Kaplan]

Paul,

Not surprised about how the Roadmap aligns with your experiences in the Device Software domain. We've heard similar comments from people and companies working up and down the stack and across IT domains.

It's one reason our upcoming Open ePolicy Group 2.0 is generating much interest, and we expect to have broad set of companies involved. I certainly encourage you and your WindRiver colleagues to contact me if there is any interest in hearing more about it.

All best,
Jeff