[TOS] Book Review

Algot Runeman algot.runeman at verizon.net
Sun Jan 23 17:19:52 UTC 2011


On 01/23/2011 10:46 AM, tosmaillist.neophyte_rep at ordinaryamerican.net 
wrote:
> The Comingled Code: Open Source and Economic Development.
> By Josh Lerner and Mark Schankerman. MIT Press
> http://www.economist.com/node/17899970?story_id=17899970&CFID=160220568&CFTOKEN=93405755
> > From the review:
> "Yet the finding that open-source advocates will like least is that
> free programs are not always cheaper."
>
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The unfortunate implication of the quotation above is, when using open 
source, one must pay for learning how to integrate the software into the 
business; and, though it isn't stated, the opposite is also implied: 
using proprietary software does not require a cost to integrate into the 
business.

Training and developing the strategy to integrate ANY software is going 
to cost money.

I found the more troubling conclusion was: "It would be wrong, they say, 
to see the two types of software as substitutes for another or as 
interchangeable."

Pulling out program X and inserting program Y will always cause 
disruption. No two pieces of software are perfect matches in that sense. 
So what?

Pulling out Word Perfect and putting in Microsoft Word caused 
disruption. It certainly isn't a factor of open vs. proprietary.

The review isn't the original book (which I have not read). Reviews are 
frequently as much a subjective response as they are objective.

The review was in The Economist and the book was by economists. That 
seems more important than anything else. Free/Open Source is 
increasingly important in economic terms. It isn't just somebody's 
hobby. The reality is that FOSS is the infrastructure software of the 
Internet and is becoming the software of the mobile world. That is 
economically significant, and just because FOSS doesn't mean "free of 
all costs" isn't that important.

This mailing list is based on the recognized need to have more 
developers ready to participate in FOSS projects and the community 
process. It may already be an economically important issue. Outsourcing, 
anyone?

Stand up and be proud you are part of it. Earn the money of your day 
job. Keep pushing FOSS, any way you can.

--Algot

-- 
-------------------------
Algot Runeman
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