RISC OS cannot be saved by simply open sourcing it, said RISCOS Ltd boss Paul Middleton. He added that Castle's wish to open source RISC OS "would have no effect on RISCOS Ltd's products". Paul told subscribers over the weekend: "Making RISC OS open source, or free as some people want, is not the panacea for suddenly taking RISC OS forward. No operating system can be developed solely for free."
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Member since:2005-07-06
Open sourcing something != automatic development
Never seen dead projects on sourceforge? This is what mr Middleton refers to, and an open-source project would still need to be maintained, probably by someone on a pay-roll.
Of course, the question is how much exactly of 'free' development open sourcing would lead to. I think there are enough developpers in RISC OS land to push it forward, so this is a wasted opportunity.
What's worse is that Castle sort of reached out a hand towards ROL by saying they could/would open source parts of their version with the subtext of improved integration, and ROL slapped that hand away: "he added that Castle's wish to open source RISC OS would have no effect on RISCOS Ltd's products".
Member since:2005-07-25
I think the concern from ROL is that they want to keep paying the paychecks of their developers. Replacing them with hobbyists is a way to immediately get rid of their jobs, not keep it going.
That's a valid concern, their product is the OS, and the fear that if they open source it most users will start downloading it for free rather than continuing to buy from them is a valid concern. Open sourcing Netscape may have lead to the production of one of the best web browsers ever, but it certainly didn't boost Netscape's profits.
There's definitely some linguistic trickery, I think he's definitely saying "RISC OS" when what he should be saying is "my firm." From the point of view of the RISC OS community, opensourcing the OS may well be a good thing, and everything you say is right. They're thinking of this from the point of view of a corporation, though, and companies aren't generally known for intentionally nailing the lids on their own coffins.
Member since:
2005-07-06
"To develop RISC OS requires customers, developers and cash. RISCOS Ltd's customers are the end users. We don't have a second source of income from major developers who will pay megabucks for specific support that can then subsidise the home users."
Clearly this guy has no concept of open source.
There was a saying "build it and they will come", with open source this changes to, " let them come and build it themselves."
Open source programmers do it for their own pleasure, as a hobby, etc etc etc