Re: open source the IBM i kernel. Was: Why i??? NEED YOUR INPUT

Over what period of time did Microsoft invest billions into OSS? I
don't have any numbers, but I would say IBM spend loads of money on
open source.

IBM sits on several of the expert groups for Java EE, which takes time
away from paid employees. They gave Geronimo application server to
Apache. They have WebSphere community edition which is open source.

I'm not trying to say IBM is better than Microsoft or that either one
don't contribute to OSS. I'm just pointing out they both contribute,
they just have different target audiences.

I just don't think open sourcing the i is the way to go. Look at Sun,
they were a large company that believed in open source. Didn't turn
out so well for them :-) Don't get me wrong, open source is a VERY
good/important thing. It seems RedHat is really the only company that
has the OSS model down. I don't think IBM could/would do it right.

--
James R. Perkins



On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 09:05, Steve Richter <stephenrichter@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 11:17 AM, James Perkins <jrperkinsjr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I by no means fall under the "Microsoft is evil" thoughts, but are you
really trying to say that Microsoft is more open or more committed to
open source than IBM?

I don't have an opinion on that.  I said the Microsoft approach is
just about perfect. Invest heavily, over the long term, in their OS,
languages, frameworks, tools. Then encourage open source around the
edges. MVC is open source, while the core IIS and ASP.NET is not.
Since IBM is not willing to invest $billions like MSFT does, I think
they should open source the OS to keep it viable.

I don't follow at all how Linux can be successful as open source and
enable IBM to make a lot of money, but IBM i would flounder and be a
money loser if it was open sourced.

-Steve
--
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