From: "Robert White" <rwhite@casabyte.com>
To: "Larry McVoy" <lm@bitmover.com>
Cc: "Werner Almesberger" <wa@almesberger.net>,
       "Stephan von Krawczynski" <skraw@ithnet.com>,
       <miquels@cistron-office.nl>, <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: RE: [OT] Re: Troll Tech [was Re: Sco vs. IBM]
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:35:09 -0700
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That is very sad.  The fact that I know that I am not the kind of salesman
one needs to be to run a business does not magically disqualify me from all
business knowledge.  In fact it puts me somewhat higher on the spectrum than
most people who run a business.

If you automatically dismiss knowledge from others if they aren't talking
directly down the mountain to you, you likely have more, and more serious,
business problems coming than having people mimic your product.

A good businessman, a man who can transcend the difficult period between
entrepreneurship to corporation, needs to have the ability to delegate, and
let go of things, but more importantly he has to be a person who can see and
harvest the smarts of the people around him who are not trying to be
entrepreneurs themselves.  The simple facts are that "having run a business"
does not qualify a person in the slightest for understanding the software
development process and dissemination of ideas.

The converse is, of course, also true.  Then again, this thread isn't first
nor foremost a discussion of running a business is it?  It is a discussion
on transfer of ideas, trying to halt said transfer (a task I hold to be
impossible and undesirable); it is a conversation about whether being "in
business" or "in open source" (as if the two are mutually exclusive) nets
more innovation; and only *after* those concerns, is it wise to build a
business strategy solely around the production of software.

Since we contend on the first two points, the third is immaterial.  And as
such, you are unwise to discard my opinion on the first two just because you
don't aspire to "my spot" in the business food chain because I don't in turn
aspire to yours.

I have done what I can do to help, but now I suppose it is time, as it must
always eventually be, to settle back, and watch as the market and the
realities of business become your judge, jury, and if appropriate your
executioner.

But don't expect sympathy from anyone for your position, now or in the
future, if you publicly discard the positions of others based on whether
they have the same life-goals as you.

[That is, it would be rational to discard my opinions on business if I had
repeatedly failed at business.  Discarding them because I have no desire to
be a businessman, and so have studied the realities of business from a
different angle, the angle of "only" an active daily participant, is
foolish.]

Rob.


-----Original Message-----
From: Larry McVoy [mailto:lm@bitmover.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 8:50 PM
To: Robert White
Cc: Larry McVoy; Werner Almesberger; Stephan von Krawczynski;
miquels@cistron-office.nl; linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [OT] Re: Troll Tech [was Re: Sco vs. IBM]


On Tue, Jun 24, 2003 at 08:22:13PM -0700, Robert White wrote:
> [I don't have employees and I haven't created a sustainable business]
>
> -- I also know a flawed business model when I see one.

Hmm.  With all due respect, I think that arguing business with someone
who has yet to be sucessful at it is not likely to help me or help the
open source world.  I think you have some really interesting thoughts and
it's clear that you have thought hard about this stuff.  I'm also someone
who has thought hard about a lot of things I haven't done only to find
that my opinions changed dramatically once I started doing those things.
Theory and practice and all that.

No offense intended, but I'll pass on this for the time being.  I look
forward to watching you create and run a business based on your principles.
If it's successful, who knows?, maybe I'll be working for you one day and
that would be cool, I'd love to work for someone with a better vision.
--
---
Larry McVoy              lm at bitmover.com
http://www.bitmover.com/lm

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