ComputerWorld: Mozilla gambit reveals risks of open sourcing

“There has been much ado recently about the open-source movement
following the success of the Linux operating system and the Apache
Web server. However, Netscape’s sorry experience with open-source
software development — it has yet to finish the next version of
its browser — reveals how messy this approach can be for a public
company.”

“…Mozilla’s development process has created difficulties that
the truly open software initiatives, Linux and Apache, haven’t
experienced.”

“Netscape insists on owning and distributing the software on its
own terms. As a result, few outside developers have been willing to
spend a lot of time writing code for Mozilla… the complex
Navigator code base… grew from a few tens of thousands of lines
to more than 3 million lines by Version 4. Netscape rushed those
versions to market and lacked time to adequately modularize the
code.”

“The bottom line: Open-source development hasn’t helped
Netscape keep the Navigator browser alive, and it may not be an
effective way for any commercial company to manage product
development.”

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