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October 26, 2006
Opensourcing opensource
Opensourcing opensource: I haven't digested both sides of the story yet (see Oracle PDF FAQ, Red Hat FAQ), but here's how BusinessWeek puts it: "Oracle announced today that it will take Red Hat's version of Linux, strip off all of Red Hat's trademarks, and sell it to customers for a big discount off of what Red Hat charges. It's a ruthless and brilliant act of capitalism." Alex Barnett points to ex-Oracle staffer Dave Dargo, who writes "If Oracle is tremendously successful in taking Red Hat's business then, ultimately, Red Hat won't be around. Oracle will then either need to acquire Red Hat or staff up to include the same resources that Red Hat has in building, distributing and supporting their product. Is this their plan, to get Red Hat's valuation low enough to acquire them?" But isn't commodifying a technology for widest affordability one of the clearly stated goals of many opensource advocates? Maybe the license model is vulnerable and should be changed? I'm not sure how to think of this issue, it's a new one for me... how do you look at it, what hypotheses can you suggest? Thanks in advance for leads.
Posted by JohnDowdell at October 26, 2006 02:52 AM
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