Companies and communities is a topic I'll speaking on at SCALE. I welcome any feedback or points to consider! First off, there is no ideal company/community relationship. There are lots of different types of relationships between companies and the communities they work with (or don't work with) – and no one way is perfect for […]
5 types of company open source relationships Read More »
Most people used to the proprietary software world, with no experience in open source software, are amazed that anything gets done. (And lots gets done in the open source, way more than in most proprietary software companies!) And people new to open source are usually at a loss as to where to start. Often they
12 tips to getting things done in open source Read More »
I'm on the advisory board for OpenSource World. I was excited to be asked. One, it's flattering to be feel that your opinion is valuable. Two, I was excited to help make OpenSource World a success. Three, I have an active interest in making sure that open source software in general is successful and in
First off, Microsoft is not going to open source Windows. (I used to say it wouldn't make business sense for them to open Windows. These days I'm not so sure.) I do know that it would take them years and it would be really hard to do legally and logistically. See Zonker's post. But people
What if Microsoft open sourced Windows? Read More »
I have a friend who just installed Linux for the first time. He asked me for recommendations on a book that would help him get started. I asked on Twitter and got the following recommendations: A Practical Guide to Linux(R) Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming Ubuntu Linux Bible Linux Phrasebook (Developer's Library) Running Linux When
Best books for getting started with Linux Read More »
Ian Tree has written an open letter to IBM asking them to release Domino under an open source license. While I agree with him that open sourcing Domino could have lots of positive effects, he's ignoring the cost and time involved. All those good things might not happen given how hard it is to open
Is open sourcing Domino a good idea? Read More »
So I have to admit that although I've been preaching for years that open source software needs more documentation, it wasn't really something I worried about. (Probably partially because I have a good network I can always ask when in doubt.) At least that's how I felt until I got my G1 phone. I read
Documentation is important Read More »
Netbooks are very small, lightweight, cheap laptops. For $350-600 you get a mini-laptop, perfect for surfing the web or writing a quick document. Many of them, as I've pointed out in previous posts, have open source software desktops. The thing that's disappointing to me is that they all have their own Linux distribution. As a
Why do netbook vendors make their own distribution? Read More »
According to Stephen Vaughan-Nichols there will be 2.4 million more Linux desktop users by the end of the year. And that's only counting Eee PC users. To be exact, according to Asustek, "The company shipped 2.5 million notebooks in the first half of this year, 1.7 million units in the third quarter and is expecting
2.4 million more open source desktop users Read More »
I get asked a lot about my “Would you do it again for free?” talk. (“Would you do it again for free” was about the question, if you take developers that are working on open source software for free and you pay them, if you stop paying them, will they still work on open source
Does money kill good motivations? Read More »