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To: Eric Sandeen who wrote (1064)9/8/1999 4:51:00 PM
From: Eric Wells  Read Replies (2) of 1794
 
>>Referring to your argument of "bureaucratic overhead"
>>in Open Source development, looking over the past 5
>>years of development, I just don't see it.

Eric - I have to sign off for the day, as I have some work to do. I will make one last comment about my concerns of bureaucratic overhead with regard to Linux Open Source development. I have not participated in Linux development in any way - so I am only speculating when I make statements regarding the difficulty involved in integrating the work of multiple, dispersed developers. I would suggest that there must have been some problems with coordination - and problems in getting code from different sources to work together. When you compare Open Source to Closed Source, you're really comparing how the advantage of having more contributors offsets the disadvantages in coordinating effort (assuming there will be fewer coordination problems in working with a tight-knit group of developers that all work for the same company).

Now that a substantial amount of money has entered into the Open Source equation, I would predict an increase in the bureaucratic overhead. I would guess that Linux developers will not be as willing to contribute to Linux without some assurance of compensation. But outright compensation, in the form of a fixed payment or royalty payment, may not be enough. Developers will want stock options - which will provide a much higher level of compensation (assuming the mania continues). I can foresee one potential economic impact that money might have on the Open Source equation: you might see groups of top Open Source developers banding together to form their own companies to develop their own versions of Linux with the goal of creating a version of Linux that is superior to others - and such a group of developers may break away from the Open Source model and not share their code with others. Perhaps the central committee that controls Open Source development has rules in place to prevent this. Anyway, I can't help but feel that the amount of money that is now involved will have an impact on the Open Source model - when money is involved, people tend to want to get more of it - which leads to the development of closed systems.

I'm off for the day. Thanks again for your messages.
-Eric Wells
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