[This article was contributed by Brian Walsh, who runs a Portland-based service firm. His practice concentrates on enterprise software, providing counsel, architecture and development. He enjoys the hands-on approach and divides his time between policy issues and technical challenges. Brian has worked as an IT manager and also an editor at Network Computing and theServerSide.com, and he can be reached at www.bwalsh.com. This article was written for the Software Association of Oregon.]
There is no arguing with success. Linux and open source in general have made significant advances in market penetration over the past five years or so. On the other hand, as I look around my local coffee shop all I see are Windows boxes and the occasional Portland-bike-messenger way-cool Mac.
It seems there are a few points of view one can take regarding the announced merger of OSDL and FSG:
- That’s it. Linux has reached a leveling-off point. The enterprise has been breached and sponsoring companies are consolidating their investment in trade groups.
- It’s a launching point. Linux vendors are ready to collect their respective energies and attack the desktop, for real this time.
- Where are all the jobs?
Regarding Linux on the desktop, maybe this time it will be different. This has been a recurring topic among the punditry for at least fifteen years. I remember back in the late ‘80s there were rumors running around about Sun and Apple combining forces. Forget about what the press says. Judge the likelihood or progress toward this goal by asking yourself a few questions:
- How did it go the last time you tried to install Linux on your laptop?
- How did it go the last time you tried to give up MSOffice and use Open Office?
- What answer did you get from your favorite software vendor when you asked about a Linux Port? John Dvorak focuses here.
- Ask your friendly IT person to pronounce “Ubuntu”.
Licensing issues still dog open source progress
As far as enterprise adoption of Linux, one of the goals of OSDL has been to champion the legal issues surrounding licensing. Work still needs to be done here. Licensing issues and threats of suits still take up way too much ink. Not surprisingly, efforts at rapprochement have not born fruit. There is little case for suing end users and small vendors; the downside loss of goodwill is simply too costly. At the same time, the threat is too good a tool to abandon. As an honest broker between Linux vendors, OSDL can only hope that competitive pressures will encourage Linux vendors to package indemnification. Further increases in Linux as a server platform will rely more on preferences of the applications and tools further up the stack, apart from the OS. The new Linux Foundation should concentrate on keeping licensing issues out of the press.
Where are all the jobs?
The first thing that caught my eye when I heard about the consolidation of OSDL and FSG was the layoff of a third of the staff. The Portland area has been on the losing end of too many consolidations. Then I realized that a third of the staff meant nine jobs. If we believe OSS monetization is based on a service model requiring lots of warm bodies (a tougher business model than selling licenses), one has to wonder: Where are all the jobs?
Oregon wants to be known as a center of OSS. Up until now that has meant being known as the home of Linus, OSDL and O’Reilly’s Open Source Conference. It is encouraging that, as a result of the merger, the Linux Foundation will remain here in Portland and the new COO will move to the area. The staff after the short term consolidation will doubtless continue to grow.
However, in order to develop the jobs that come with it, we need to realize that open source encompasses a lot more than Linux. Communities clustered around languages such as Java, Ruby, PHP and application domains like bioinformatics, media players and mobile devices have significant open source efforts. Community source (open source aligned around a vertical industry segment) continues to emerge. It is not all about the OS. Personally, most open source developers use and deploy to Windows as much as Linux.
Building Oregon’s open source traction
The barriers to entry in the software industry are low and our slim competitive advantages are not to be squandered. Quite apart from the Linux Foundation’s activity, we should ensure that whatever buzz associated with OSS and Oregon continues to grow. It is a mistake to cast this in terms of MS vs. Linux. As a rising tide, OSS will raise all boats.
If Oregon wants to enhance the reputation it has developed for open source and develop more jobs it needs more examples of success. Oregon needs some traction as a center for open source efforts other than Linux itself. Job growth will be found by identifying opportunities in the problems and challenges of larger markets than ourselves while continuing to attract and hold talent.