Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S262148AbTFTP7b (ORCPT ); Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:59:31 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263056AbTFTP7b (ORCPT ); Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:59:31 -0400 Received: from host-64-213-145-173.atlantasolutions.com ([64.213.145.173]:12226 "EHLO havoc.gtf.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S262148AbTFTP7a (ORCPT ); Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:59:30 -0400 Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 12:13:31 -0400 From: Jeff Garzik To: Larry McVoy , Lawrence Walton , Larry McVoy , linux-kernel Subject: Re: [OT] Re: Troll Tech [was Re: Sco vs. IBM] Message-ID: <20030620161331.GB3960@gtf.org> References: <20030619165916.GA14404@work.bitmover.com> <20030620001217.G6248@almesberger.net> <20030620120910.3f2cb001.skraw@ithnet.com> <20030620142436.GB14404@work.bitmover.com> <20030620143012.GC14404@work.bitmover.com> <87vfv0bxsb.fsf@sanosuke.troilus.org> <20030620153410.GC17563@work.bitmover.com> <20030620155003.GA2600@the-penguin.otak.com> <20030620160211.GF17563@work.bitmover.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20030620160211.GF17563@work.bitmover.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.28i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1649 Lines: 40 On Fri, Jun 20, 2003 at 09:02:11AM -0700, Larry McVoy wrote: > Creating new software: $$$$$$$$$$ > Copying existing software: $ Agreed. Except maybe that one dollar sign is too much :) > The thing that is worrisome, to put it mildly, is that it takes a much > larger effort to create new stuff than to copy it. If you manage to > kill off the source of the new stuff, what do you copy? Oh, nothing? > OK, so now the open source community has to produce the new stuff. > Let's have another picture: > > Revenue from commercial software: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ > Revenue from open source: $ (at best) This is misleading. Revenue has nothing to do with whether the software is open source or not. Look at Digital's and IBM's billions that they made as a service organization, where often there "proprietary" software simply existed as a loss leader which opens doors to new service contracts. There is a pool of money that businesses have, that can be spent on total IT. At the end of the day, businesses don't give a damn whether they are spending 80% on service, 10% on hardware, and 10% on software, or, 10% of service, 20% on hardware, and 70% on software. As long as their business needs are met within the given budget, they're satisfied to let the engineers dicker about whether OSS or proprietary software is better. Jeff - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/