LinuxPlanet: The Yin and Yang of Open Source Commerce
Nov 01, 2005, 19:00 (1 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by John H. Terpstra)
"What is obvious to some is far from plainly perceived by
others. Life is complex because people are complex, and while it
may be demonstrated that within peer-groups there is greater
commonality of thought than there is throughout society at large,
even close peers will perceive things differently because of a
large variety of cultural factors as well as personal experiences
as we move through life.
"Within the Open Source Software (OSS) community, opinions are
most diverse. Some want OSS to gain market dominance, but there is
also a very outspoken minority that objects to any interest in
using OSS outside of their own reference group. Many factors cause
OSS users, developers, and supporters to be seen as a group, and it
is difficult to propose a more succinct term to accurately describe
the reality of the faceless mass that is commonly called the OSS
Community. The term faceless is appropriate because, as an entity,
it has no truly representative spokesperson who can, with any
degree of convincing argument, claim to have majority support from
amongst all of its members.
"In this series, we will consider key aspects that impact the
future of OSS in the business and consumer markets. What is
considered by radical elements of the OSS community as flamebait or
trolling is seen by others as hurdles and stepping stones on the
road forward..."
Complete
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