Symbian: A Lesson on the Wrong Way to Use Open Source

“The Register’s Andrew Orlowski recently offered a hopeful
eulogy for Symbian, the still-dominant but fading mobile operating
system that Nokia took open source in 2008. Nokia hoped to revive
Symbian’s importance, which once dominated more than 50 percent of
the mobile market, by reinvigorating its developer base in light of
a rush of Linux-based operating platforms like Android and LiMo. It
hoped in vain.

“For years, companies have looked to open source to salvage
dying products, and each time these efforts have failed. Often
dismally.

“After all, if a product can’t make the grade as a proprietary
product, it will almost certainly fare worse as an open-source
product.”

Complete Story