[Sussex] A Brief Guide to Open-Source

[Paul Tansom]

** Geoffrey Teale <tealeg at member.fsf.org> [2005-12-20 23:42]:
> On Tuesday 20 December 2005 22:27, Mark Harrison (Groups) wrote:
> --- %< -----
> > And this would be one of the reasons why I use the term "OpenSource"
> > rather than "Free". For a much fuller argument as to why, see "The
> > Cathedral and that Bazaar" - for the opposing viewpoint, see Geoff
> > Teale :-)
> --- %< -----
> 
> So I guess I'll take hold of the bait.  I haven't posted in an age so here 
> goes.
> 
> I stress "free" because I believe that what is important about the software is 
> the freedom.  I discourage the term "Open Source" only because I believe it 
> detracts from the message about freedom.  
> 
> To some this may seem silly, or counter productive - after all if you want 
> someone to use something you have to tell them that it's a good match for 
> their needs; that it's good value for money; and in both regards it exceeds 
> the competition.  That may be so, but I believe that the freedoms implied by 
> the term "Free Software" carry with them strong indicators that the software 
> will meet those criteria, or can be made to.  As a brand "Free Software" 
> carries more weight than the majority of software houses can deliver. 

I can never get my head around the best name to use. They all fall flat
on their faces for me. Open source is clear, and might be my preferred I
think. It makes clear you have access to the source code, which is key.
It has, however, been hijacked by the proprietary software people who
don't follow on the freedoms into what you can do with that source once
you've seen it!

Free software definitely doesn't sit comfortably with me because I will
usually run into the comparisons with free software that people know
like Winzip (not free in any sense in fact!), Zone Alarm (only certain
versions, no code), IE ('nuff said), etc. People generally think of the
free to purchase side of things first.

FLOSS is another I come across quite frequently and seems quite
comfortable. It doesn't, however, mean anything to anyone who isn't
already familiar with the whole idea :(

<snip>
> Today GNU/Linux is a major player in the server market.  To paraphrase
> Paul Graham, if you're building your servers on something other than
> GNU/Linux then you've got to be asking yourself what it is you think
> you know about servers that Google, Yahoo and Amazon don't know.  In
> this environment is it hard to propose GNU/Linux as a server solution?
> Sometimes it still is, yes, but for the average I.T. director this is
> at least an idea that deserves some thought.

Ooh, GNU/Linux - nope, it's another list, where I put my foot in that
one! Flippin' mail clients that break threading and leave a reply
looking like a new thread!

> By contrast, now think about GNU/Linux  on the desktop.  What is it
> that stops adoption?  
> 
> Here's an excercise to help you think through it all.  Try ranking the
> following factors for 1 to 10 (with one being the most important and
> 10 being the least):
> 
>   * Concerns about the availability of software and support *
>   Interoperability with other companies using proprietary solutions *
>   Migration or continuation of legacy systems * Retraining, support
>   and migration costs * Lack of mature solutions for niche users *
>   Variety / Lack of standard or "obvious choice" tools * Lack of
>   obvious success stories from other companies * Strong marketing from
>   competing systems * Details of software license unappealing to
>   business * Generic name of software licensing scheme implies "free
>   of charge" but neither guarantees this nor explicity counterracts
>   the "you get what you pay for" arguement
> 
> Hmmm, that's a toughy. :-)
> -- Geoff Teale tealeg at member.fsf.org

It sure is. Relates to my Christmas task though - getting a desktop
Linux machine (SuSE in this case) to authenticate against a Windows
2000/3 Active Directory domain and mount its home drive automatically.
I thought I'd be heading LDAP, but Kerberos or Winbind seem the best
options - if I can get the machine account authenticated and working
somehow!

** end quote [Geoffrey Teale]

-- 
Paul Tansom | Aptanet Ltd. | http://www.aptanet.com