32BitsOnline: Large Corporation and FREE Software

"Who could have predicted that Micro$haft would jump up just one day after SUN's "Star Portal" announcement for Star Office and fling their own vaporware gauntlet into the ring, announcing a thin client version of Office 2*** or whatever it will be called by then."

"Just like that, everyone in the Known Universe is going to have the "Rent-Once-Deploy-everywhere-if-you-got-a-license-ubiquitous- runs-on-anything (kind of)-invisible-OS-office-suite-html-portal-tool-bla-bla-bla.... Sorry, I got lost in all the catch phrases and marketing memes....whew....give me a minute, will you?"

"What I wanted to say when I started this whole diatribe is that I wasn't sure that the Open Source Community NEEDS a "free" anything from, or the interest of, Big Software. After thinking about it , I am convinced. If you look at what is currently available in the Open Source catalog you see the very tools that comprise the basis of the "Thin-client/office suite that Big Software wants to sell. There are remarkable projects, like MASON (based on Perl), ZOPE (based on Python) or MIDGARD (Php3) or the dozens of other projects/programs that use the browser as a client interface, complete with database backends, use ubiquitous, Open Source code and are already up and working quite well..."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• osOpinion: MSOfffice.com: Ain't Holdin' My Breath(Sep 08, 1999)
• The Sun, the Stars and the universe....(Sep 02, 1999)
• osOpinion: Why Sun Bought Star Division(Aug 26, 1999)
• Forbes: Your next office suite may be free(Aug 10, 1999)