Open Source - Opening Divide

3/4/2008

I won't claim to have been one of the open source pioneers, but I definitely was into open source before "it was cool". Indy was my debut into open source. Delphi 1 arrived in 1995 and I open sourced Indy shortly there after. In fact the exact date escapes me, but 1996 seems to ring a bell. This I think gives me a sound grounding in the open source community as well as an ability to see its evolution. In recent years I have noticed some disturbing trends.

I do not know when these trends began, but I first became aware that they were becoming common when I spoke at a FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) Conference in 2005. I have since then had contact with several other open source projects besides mine, and these trends keep recurring.

I will post more on this shortly - but for now I wanted to "initiate" the conversation and invite feedback. Do you notice radical changes and attitudes affecting the open source community? Post your comments for now please.

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Comments:

Chris M 2008-03-04 12:08:42 You didn't say what you think the 'trends' are?!
Kudzu 2008-03-04 12:49:31 I wanted to see if the trend was apparent enough that anyone else had noticed it as well. :)
Josh Usovsky 2008-03-04 04:29:01 Any chance you're referring to the switch from simply giving away software and source to "battling" Microsoft? I sense a lot of negativity from the OSS front these days, and it seems to be irrationally directed at Microsoft.
Jan 2008-03-04 06:35:39 Tat they just copy things and have relatively few ideas of their own?
Robert MacLean 2008-03-08 12:34:26 Trends I see: - OS used to mean OS, not Free. Now it tends to mean OS + Free. - When Microsoft uses OS, it is not viewed as OS (I think cause the OS fan boys are anti-Microsoft by principal or blindness or because it is popular in the group). - OS is embracing Windows development more (thinking Firefox et al) - OS software used to be the tools of admins and developers, now end users are seeing it more.
Kudzu 2008-03-08 05:36:53 Pretty good... I'll post more soon but at least I know its not just me noticing this stuff...

Chris M 2008-03-04 12:08:42
You didn't say what you think the 'trends' are?!

Kudzu 2008-03-04 12:49:31
I wanted to see if the trend was apparent enough that anyone else had noticed it as well. :)

Josh Usovsky 2008-03-04 04:29:01
Any chance you're referring to the switch from simply giving away software and source to "battling" Microsoft? I sense a lot of negativity from the OSS front these days, and it seems to be irrationally directed at Microsoft.

Jan 2008-03-04 06:35:39
Tat they just copy things and have relatively few ideas of their own?

Robert MacLean 2008-03-08 12:34:26
Trends I see:
- OS used to mean OS, not Free. Now it tends to mean OS + Free.
- When Microsoft uses OS, it is not viewed as OS (I think cause the OS fan boys are anti-Microsoft by principal or blindness or because it is popular in the group).
- OS is embracing Windows development more (thinking Firefox et al)
- OS software used to be the tools of admins and developers, now end users are seeing it more.

Kudzu 2008-03-08 05:36:53
Pretty good... I'll post more soon but at least I know its not just me noticing this stuff...

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