The Software Industry's Identity Crisis
Linked by David Adams on Tue 26th Oct 2004 16:30 UTC
Editorial The software industry is undergoing a gradual transformation, and consumer fatigue is at its root. The licensing model that has formed the basis for the modern software industry is facing challenges on many fronts, and the industry is scrambling to keep its footing. Where this period of change may lead software producers and consumers isn't quite clear, but some trends are emerging. Since the proliferation of the internet, unauthorized redistribution of digital goods has become rampant. But although software sharing probably won't kill the software industry, the reasoning behind it shares some pedigree with the customer revolt that promises to transform the way software is sold.
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@Archangel
by Smartpatrol on Tue 26th Oct 2004 21:33 UTC

Smartpatrol: Calm down. He's absolutely right in that point - that an Oracle license costing $5000 is overkill for many cases, where mySQL is quite adequate. There are a lot of cases where Oracle will be required over mySQL still.
He didn't say "open source is good and closed source is bad", he just said that many free (as in beer) products are good enough to replace commercial alternatives in a lot of instances.

The problem I have with his assertion is that he did not suggest a cheaper closed source alternative. I agree an Oracle/SUN solution would very well be overkill but a Dell/Microsoft solution? Each case would need careful examination and would never fall under such a blanket statement presented by the author.