When I started University, I was very Anti-Microsoft. I ran OS/2 on my PC and generally tried to avoid Microsoft's products. Then, at some point along the way, I took a step back and took a looked at the real world. I realized that MS was by far the most employable technology platform, and I became a believer...
I made the decision to focus on Microsoft Technologies for my professional career.
Up until now, this decision has served me very well. Lately however, I've been spending a fair amount of time investigating the other side... and I'm beginning to appreciate the potential of Open Source products. I'm not saying that I believe all software should be free... and when you look at most Open Source products, they aren't. Look at RedHat, MySQL, JasperSoft or Astersik and you will see that there are companies behind these products which are making very good money by selling support or "subscriptions" to the products. Still others charge for the "pro" version, or even charge for the entire software. Open Source does not mean free software; it simply means free access to the source code. How companies choose to go to market is a different matter altogether.
The concept of sophisticated users helping to implement the features they want most is very powerful. It makes me think of the philosophy of attacking the "lowest hanging fruit" when attempting to improve any product or process. The interesting thing about Open Source is that it allows each customer/user to improve their own lowest hanging fruit rather than the software vendor choosing the features needed for that next big sale.
It's surprising, but there has not been much Open Source activity in manufacturing. Should there be? I'd love to hear your thoughts...
I made the decision to focus on Microsoft Technologies for my professional career.
Up until now, this decision has served me very well. Lately however, I've been spending a fair amount of time investigating the other side... and I'm beginning to appreciate the potential of Open Source products. I'm not saying that I believe all software should be free... and when you look at most Open Source products, they aren't. Look at RedHat, MySQL, JasperSoft or Astersik and you will see that there are companies behind these products which are making very good money by selling support or "subscriptions" to the products. Still others charge for the "pro" version, or even charge for the entire software. Open Source does not mean free software; it simply means free access to the source code. How companies choose to go to market is a different matter altogether.
The concept of sophisticated users helping to implement the features they want most is very powerful. It makes me think of the philosophy of attacking the "lowest hanging fruit" when attempting to improve any product or process. The interesting thing about Open Source is that it allows each customer/user to improve their own lowest hanging fruit rather than the software vendor choosing the features needed for that next big sale.
It's surprising, but there has not been much Open Source activity in manufacturing. Should there be? I'd love to hear your thoughts...
2 Comments:
I also have been Microsoft centric , but reciently have been more interested in open software . At home i use openoffice and reciently installed Linux on my old laptop . In work i have come across a couple of large companies switching from microsoft to Linux , not mainly due to costs , but due to stability and service pack - re-boots . I personally think those with the vision to take the step to offer Linux based solutions now will reap the benefits in the future 3 - 5 years
Great point Bazza. Stability is certainly one of the reasons people look to Linux, etc.
One of the big challenges that I personally struggle with when looking at Linux and *most* Open Source products is usability. I think that the market is maturing rapidly. However, at this point, Microsoft has a hugh lead in usability. Until you can have a system which doesn't require you to edit config files in a text editor, and recompile the kernel to get a new network card installed, Linux is going to have a hard time moving to the mainstream.
Here at SlimSoft, we are seriously considering our Open Source options. But whatever we do, usability has to be our number one goal. In manufacturing, the stability of your product is an essential component of any solution, but simplicity and usability will be what make you stand out.
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