Gartner's FUD
Nov 17, 2008, 16:31 (2 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Glyn Mody)
"So let's just unpick this statement a little. Unfortunately, I
can't find any details on the Gartner site, so I'll have to make
general statements about free software and licensing.
"First, if companies are simply using open source software
as-is, there are no "potential liabilities": none, zero, zilch. I'd
be willing to bet that this covers 90% of open source in companies
today. You can even make changes to the code and not make them
public - provide you don't circulate them outside your company.
It's only when you start combining open source code with other code
that licensing issues might arise, but even here, the spectre of
"huge potential liabilities" is nonsense."
Complete Story
Related Stories:
- Mixing Free and Proprietary Software: Not a Rosy Future(Nov 14, 2008)
- Microsoft Denies Paying Contractor to Abandon Linux(Nov 11, 2008)
- From the Desktop: Fishing for Trout, Catching a Marlin(Nov 07, 2008)
- Editor's Note: Does Linux Deliver For Small Businesses?(Oct 31, 2008)
- Review: Intellectual Property and Open Source(Sep 30, 2008)
- Who Ever Said Novell Was a "Prince"?(Aug 29, 2008)
- Novell and Microsoft: Stop With the FUD Already(Aug 22, 2008)
- Why Lawyers Don't Like Linux(Aug 11, 2008)
- Lawyer's Funny AntiLinux FUD Turns Out to be Not So Funny(Aug 09, 2008)