Explain the open source movement to me.

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
12
81
I really don't understand this drive for open source software. Being a software developer myself, I don't understand why you'd want all software to be open source. Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.
 

snooker

Platinum Member
Apr 13, 2001
2,366
0
76
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

EDIT: In my eyes, open source gives me the ability to plug security holes, improve and clean up the code to my liking etc.... without having to wait for the maker of the software to do it themselves...
 

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
12
81
Originally posted by: chuckywang
http://www.opensource.org/

ok...so its so people can edit software?

Stupid. The software business exists based on competition, like every business. If everyone can edit the software, there is no need for competing software. If you want something in a program, request it from a company or get a competing product that has that funcionality.
 

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
12
81
Originally posted by: snooker
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.
 

eigen

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2003
4,000
1
0
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: snooker
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.


You mean like all the quality competitive operating systems out there.
Oh there is a lot of high quality open-source software out there.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: snooker
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.

If everything was open source, the for-profit part of the industry would die, but the open source industry would still be going. Look at linux.
 

snooker

Platinum Member
Apr 13, 2001
2,366
0
76
Originally posted by: Deeko
Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.


I do not think so, but then again, I am not creating software as a living.

I have 4 rigs, with 2 runninng a flavor of Linux. The Linux machines never hang, crash, or just start dragging for no reason, unlike the other 2 and feel that is because I have total access to the code, to change it as I see fit.

Plus, in my mind it is about sharing. If you find something that will free up a little memory, in Opensource you share it, the Software Industry keeps it to themselves for their own profit.
 

notfred

Lifer
Feb 12, 2001
38,241
4
0
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: chuckywang
http://www.opensource.org/

ok...so its so people can edit software?

Stupid. The software business exists based on competition, like every business. If everyone can edit the software, there is no need for competing software. If you want something in a program, request it from a company or get a competing product that has that funcionality.

If it's so stupid, why does it do so well? Look at Apache, or Mozilla, or Linux.
 

chuckywang

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
20,133
1
0
Originally posted by: notfred
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: chuckywang
http://www.opensource.org/

ok...so its so people can edit software?

Stupid. The software business exists based on competition, like every business. If everyone can edit the software, there is no need for competing software. If you want something in a program, request it from a company or get a competing product that has that funcionality.

If it's so stupid, why does it do so well? Look at Apache, or Mozilla, or Linux.

MySQL
 

Mucman

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
7,246
1
0
Many companies make lots of money supporting free software.

It may not make logical business sense to you, but it makes sense to a lot of others. Hence the existence of open source :).
 

rahvin

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
8,475
1
0
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: snooker
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.

Yes because as we all know, no one can make money on OSS. Hell Redhat and IBM both lose money hand over fist right?

OSS is about eliminating the middlemen, the CEO's, the sales people and everyone else and the only ones getting paid for the OSS are the developers. Think about that.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Well it's like this. If you're really good at developing a certain kind of software, you can write it and make it available to the public. Then if anyone else has something to add to make it better or extend, they can add it. Then instead of spending $100,000 on a propietary system, you can use an opensource solution for free.

So putting in 10% of my time to add to the opensource community is a fair trade for getting back 1000% from the opensource community.

It's a cooperative. Everyone benefits, that is, except for the firm trying to sell the $100,000 product that the programmers only really see a insignificant percentage of. This forces monopolistic competition - the largest companies have to reduce prices and offer a better product than the opensource community does. So customers benefit either way.
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: rahvin
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: snooker
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.

Yes because as we all know, no one can make money on OSS. Hell Redhat and IBM both lose money hand over fist right?

OSS is about eliminating the middlemen, the CEO's, the sales people and everyone else and the only ones getting paid for the OSS are the developers. Think about that.

AFAIK, RedHat isn't involved in Open Source software.
 

rahvin

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
8,475
1
0
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
AFAIK, RedHat isn't involved in Open Source software.
Actually they are:
http://www.redhat.com/about/mission/leadership/

Interesting. I figured they would be more about Free(GPL definition) Software instead.

All their Open source software is Free. You can be OSS and still be free but OSS doesn't mean you are as there are quite a few OSS licenses that are OSS but not Free. Now stop your definition BS and get back in the OS forum monkey. ;)
 

Beattie

Golden Member
Sep 6, 2001
1,774
0
0
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: snooker
Originally posted by: Deeko
Companies invest time & money developing code, why should the be expected to show you their code? It just doesn't make sense to me.



The $$$$$$$$$ is clouding you senses ;-)

Yes, I am looking at it from a business' point of view. If all software were open source, and there was no competition, the industry would die, and if that happens, the quality of software will drop signifigantly.

Why would the qualit drop because it's all open source? You think only closed source software is of good quality?
 

Beattie

Golden Member
Sep 6, 2001
1,774
0
0
Originally posted by: Deeko
Originally posted by: chuckywang
http://www.opensource.org/

ok...so its so people can edit software?

Stupid. The software business exists based on competition, like every business. If everyone can edit the software, there is no need for competing software. If you want something in a program, request it from a company or get a competing product that has that funcionality.

What if you want a feature that doesnt exist anywhere. Find a program that does something similar and edit it.

The real draws are:
A) Free
B) Auditable
C) never lose support
D) probably some others