[Fsf-friends] The pros and cons of open source computing

[Tarun Gaur]

Hi Friends,

An Article in Linux Today ....
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The pros and cons of open source computing

12/5/2002 3:23:26 PM -

by Liam Lahey


  The great misconception about open source computing is it doesn't truly 
exist in the IT industry, according to Russell McOrmand, an Ottawa-based 
Internet and Linux consultant.

McOrmand is a member of GOSLING (Getting Open Source Logic Into 
Governments), a software lobby group that aims to change
how Canadian governments purchase and use proprietary software.

"Linux is often seen as the open source poster child, which is ironic, since 
it's not the most visible in its domain," McOrmand says, adding that 
government should take a leadership position on open standards.

McOrmand also takes issue with the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft 
(CAAST) and its annual studies on North American software piracy.

McOrmand says the methodology employed by CAAST and its international 
partner — the Business Software Alliance (BSA) — to determine the rate of 
software theft in Canada is critically flawed. For one thing, he says, 
CAAST's methodology does not make any allowance that systems shipped without 
CAAST-member software could be using open source software instead.

"CAAST is wanting open source to disappear," says McOrmand. "Its studies are 
based on the premise that open source doesn't exist," McOrmand says.

McOrmand says users that switch to Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) 
are not differentiated from illegal copying of CAAST member software. He 
says a computer that is shipped without any CAAST or BSA member software 
could be equipped by the home or business user with a full set of FLOSS 
tools. Free software encourages a more direct, customer needs-driven 
relationship, McOrmand contends, treating software as a service rather than 
a "one-size-fits-all" product.

Jackie Famulak, spokesperson and a member of the board of directors for 
CAAST, says McOrmand makes some interesting points with regard to software. 
However, she says CAAST's studies are intended to track its members' 
software only and the studies don't include following operating system 
distribution or non-member company software proliferation.

"First, a large percentage of free, open source software out there is 
Linux-based; it's not products such as a photo management software suites," 
Famulak says. "If you look at the users of software, there's not a lot of 
people out there that are ready to begin programming their own software. 
Companies don't always have the resources (to develop software) and they 
can't afford the downtime or provide the necessary support that a 
manufacturer can give them 24/7. When you consider it in that regard, we 
already are providing a service."

Many established industry players have set sail into open source waters over 
the last few years. IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Oracle, SAP and many others 
support Linux. In mid-November, Sun Microsystems Inc. announced a new Linux 
strategy in conjunction with its 32-bit LX50 server. Sun is giving its 
customers what they're asking for, says one Sun manager.

"If we go back to why Linux is evolving, people want to take the benefit of 
industry-standard hardware," says Robert ffoulkes, strategy group manager, 
volume systems products for Sun. "The open source mechanism is also really 
important as it enables the focusing of a huge amount of software 
development. Therefore it accelerates the development of things."

But questions arose from developers and industry analysts during the LX50 
press conference in Toronto about how Sun would support Linux.

"We have a lot of our own technology that we're putting into the open source 
community," ffoulkes says. "The limitation we see with open source is not 
with the development process or with participation. But if you want to have 
systems you can guarantee you're going to run a business on, somebody has to 
do quality assurance."

Sun, says ffoulkes, sees itself in this quality assurance role, having the 
muscle, as a long-established industry player, to bring Linux into the 
mainstream.

"If things work well, as Linux proliferates and becomes more of a mainstream 
environment in business, the development of a software ecosystem will happen 
much more quickly," says ffoulkes.

Dan Kusnetzky, vice-president, system software for IDC Corp. in Framingham, 
Mass., says Sun's attitude may result in a backlash from customers.

"Sun is basically saying to these people, 'we are not going to make our 
supported software available to you. You will have to buy a machine to get 
that software'. That . . . will upset the people who are otherwise loyal Sun 
buyers," he says.
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regards,,
tarun gaur




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