Open-source approach fades in tough times

**Feztaa** · 11-21-2001, 12:19 AM

if it's free, it can't be good

The predominance of that thinking was the motivation for the Open Source Initiative. When people think of free software, they think of no charge software and they think of (crappy) freeware. They don't think of liberated software (it's free as in liberty, not free as in no charge), and that's the problem. So the open source people are trying to sell free software to business without the negative attitudes towards the word "free"

**Compunuts** · 11-21-2001, 02:23 AM

So the open source people are trying to sell free software to business without the negative attitudes towards the word "free"

And if you really look at how many people are stupid enough not to know this, you will see that it's not getting too far.....

**Feztaa** · 11-21-2001, 02:29 AM

You can't blame them for trying to market their product.

Think about it. The free software people think "our development method will succeed simply because it is superior!" This is naive (sp?) and really is not true. The open source people think "big business doesn't care about quality, they want to buy stuff from the people with the slickest marketing department!", and they're pretty much right. You can think of the OSI as "Free software's marketing department"...

**Compunuts** · 11-22-2001, 01:49 AM

"big business doesn't care about quality, they want to buy stuff from the people with the slickest marketing department!"

They want someone to blame if something go wrong. That's what it's with most of the decisions being made. The first question you will be asked if you are selling service or products to a company is " Will you take blame if anything go wrong?? ". With open-source, who can you blame except yourself??