Programming Pauls of Wisdom

Open SOurce does not need to grow up

http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php/id;1875122986;fp;2;fpid;3

Like it or not, this is the public face of open source. No matter how warmly vendors such as IBM or Novell might embrace Linux, their marketing departments must still contend with the fact that, in the eyes of many customers, the movement as a whole is inseparable from the tirades of Eric S. Raymond, the radical politics of Richard M. Stallman, or that great cafeteria food fight of popular opinion known as Slashdot.
That's what I meant by my reference to the grown-ups' table. That table isn't hard to spot: It's the one where nobody's throwing rolls.


Well, actually the grown ups do throw rolls. They just throw them under the table. (the analogy is breaking down soon). But every company is full of egotistical idiots, forcing their way to the top and using "grown up" sounding words to justify their own tantrums to the public. If open source has anything to teach the wider world, it is that getting your arguments and issues out in the open makes for better decisions.
Politics might learn something from that - oh look, the UK parliament actually has parliamentary priveledge where an MP can effectively libel anyone and not get prosecued - why - so they can speak thier minds in the place where decisons are made. Of course the decisions are now made behind closed doors, but thats an argument for open doors not more grown up behaviour.

posted by paul @ 7:43 AM