[oclug] news letter, OPEN SOURCE FOR THE COMPETITIVE EDGE

[Francis Pinteric]

--- "Gilles J. Seguin" <segg at infonet.ca> wrote:
> OPEN SOURCE FOR THE COMPETITIVE EDGE
> Bernard Lang, Director of Research at the INRIA (French National 
> Institute for Research in Computer Science), and member of the 
> AFUL (Association of French-speaking Users of Linux and Free 
> Software), gives his views on the competitive advantages of
> open-source 
> software. 
> 
[snip]
 
> <http://www.opencascade.com/newsletter/21-02-2001_art_1.html>

Very good article. Although he equates Free Software with Open
Source, his argument is basically one of contrasting the proprietary
development model vs the open (and scientific, according to him)
model. I particularily like his schisophrenic definition of the
proprietary model. He asserts that while everyone agrees that goods
should be freely exchanged, information about them should not be (by
use of patents and copyrights).

But what I really like is his statement that open source development
"is based on the free-exchange model of scientific research." That is
insightful.

I would challenge the closed-source proprietary people to compare
progress in software in the last 20 years to the progress of science
in the same period and tell me which is better. I have long asserted
that starting from when AT&T slammed the door on open source Unix in
1984 combined with MSDOS and Windows that software development has
essentially stagnated since then. We could and should be a lot
farther ahead.

>>>--fja->

=====
There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.

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