

Open Source as a Model for Business Is Elusive - bengebre
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/technology/business-computing/30open.html?ref=business

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olefoo
Open Source for businesses is a tactic, not a strategy. And open source
projects are orthogonal to business products.

Most of us are working on startups where it makes sense to leverage available
open-source toolkits to solve problems rather than buying prefab solutions.
But for larger and more established companies it has always been the case that
service and support costs are the primary driver of decisionmaking. Businesses
don't buy a box of bits labeled Oracle, they buy into the support structure
that trains Oracle consultants and DBAs, and that ensures that they will be
able to solve their data management problems using Oracle tools. To some
extent it doesn't matter whether the underlying software is or is not open
source, it matters whether the toolkit and the techniques that that software
represents can be used to solve problems effectively.

In situations where you need to be monkeying with the inner workings of your
infrastructure; open source is a clear win, likewise when you are strapped for
cash. But if you have cash on hand and a well supported solution that covers
your use case; a packaged solution from a vendor may be a better value.

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rgp
The missing point in the article is the role that OS software has in the
Internet Companies. The greater economic impact is the savings and flexibility
that has companies to run on a OS platform.

I would like to hear an estimation of how costly would be to run the Internet
with only proprietary software.

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patio11
_“In the current economic context, all companies are looking for cost-
effective I.T. solutions, and systems based on open-source software are
increasingly emerging as viable alternatives to proprietary solutions,” said
the European Commission’s competition chief, Neelie Kroes, in a recent
statement. “The commission has to ensure that such alternatives would continue
to be available.”_

Well ma'am, I've got good news and bad news for you. The good news: MySQL will
continue to be available, regardless of what you do. The bad news: MySQL will
continue to be available regardless of what you do.

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iworkforthem
@olefoo is right.. Open source is definitely a tactics! For startup inc, it is
a excellent to build a product to sell for profits.

The same is for Enterprise Software... it is also a tactics..

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known
I agree and I think relevant Govt regulation can boost Open source software
sales.

