Your Tax Dollars Buying Open Source Software 182
Roblimo has a story over at NewsForge about DevIS, a software company that relies on Free and open source software to not just weather but actually do well in the current software economy. Part of the reason may be that the company doesn't preach software philosophy; they just find that combining well-tested (and mostly GPL'd) software tools is the path of least resistance when it comes to building Internet applications. Most of their work is for the Federal government; always nice to see public dollars supporting public software. Can anyone point out other good examples of similar businesses?
How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:3, Insightful)
Similar businesses... (Score:3, Insightful)
In seriousness, I REALLY hope such business do not include line items for free software on their bills to the government. (Microsoft's lackeys in Congress could have a field day with that.) Rather, all costs should be related to development, implemenation, etc of solutions...that just happen to utilize free software.
Security Enhanced Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
Is this company "better" because it redistributes OSS for cash? I see that as a necessity of making the software truly free, not as anything that can particularly help us.
M$ has been using OSS to make money for years, but where's their parade?
Right (Score:5, Insightful)
Sadly it's the fortune 500 corporate america that has yet to embrace common sense and as they still feel the need to live by the "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" mindset which some see as a way to survive. Large corporations have very differnt forces driving them.
I don't give a FLYING FUCK! (Score:4, Insightful)
*
You all are missing the point.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Right MOD PARENT UP (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:5, Insightful)
If your question is, how does this activity support companies that can't create a sustainable business model for their open source software product and/or service (not suggesting this describes Apache), well... it doesn't. I don't necessarily know that I want my tax dollars heading that direction anyway.
If your asking, how does this support the open source software movement in general, well, lots of ways. Open source developers are likely to contribute to and enrich the public code base, since they use it to create their own software, even if they are creating something so specific or odd that their particular project isn't really adding to the public pool of code. I've never met anyone using open source in their professional life who wasn't an enthusiast and contributor to noncommercial open source movement, so the simple fact that an employer is putting food on the tables of open source enthusiast programmers will tend to enrich the movement. And it all gives open source legitimacy and a toehold in the government.
I do care (Score:5, Insightful)
Making a buying decision solely on the openness of the software is probably a bad ideal. But open source has alot to offer that needs to be weighed against the advantages of proprietary software. In particular open source helps limit risk, if all else fails you can take the source and contract with a competitor to fix or change it. Too many software purchasing decisions are simply "Which software provides the best balance of functionality now for payment now?" completely ignoring future costs and risks. That's an equally foolish way to purchase software.
Re:I'd rather see... (Score:5, Insightful)
Labor: $500,000
Hardware: $1,500,000
Software Licenses: $3,500,000
or
Labor: $500,000
Hardware: $1,500,000
Software Licenses: Free
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:5, Insightful)
Open source software can be supported by someone by the mere word of mouth that it is being used.
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:5, Insightful)
You're supporting open source by using it, and possibly submitting bug reports or fixes that you find in the process of using it. As for actual financial contributions, that's probably not happening.
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:1, Insightful)
Update your lingo, man... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Similar businesses... (Score:5, Insightful)
A word about defense contracting, any product you supply the government most likely has a detailed MIL-SPEC (Military Specification). One of the many DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement ) you contractually agree to is documentation of your compliance with any and all specifications. So consider the lowly toilet seat.
There is probably a MIL-SPEC related to acceptable materials - now you need to test and document the source
Is it on an combat aircraft - then there are MIL-SPECs relating to the explosive combatibility, breakability, and maximum static charge buildup allowed.
When you start to look at all of the required documentation and testing, and the time involved the price gets up there - especially when the lowley $20/hr technician can be billed to the government at $90/hr ($20 + 300% Overhead + allowable Profit ~7% (of the gross!))
As a point of refernce the MIL-SPEC for a 13in antenna for use in the 420 to 460 megacycles per second range is 7 pages long, and references 10 other MIL-SPECs as well.
The really sad thing is that Home Depot probably has a better profit margin on their toilet seats than General Dynamics did.
The software speaks for itself! (Score:3, Insightful)
So what if a "web services" company is using open source software for the government. Open source has always been at the centre of web applications since the first script kiddie made a web site using Perl.
My own company has made banking applications using open-source technologies for years, no one's written an article on us.
The point is really: their is some good free open source software out there, and we (as it's supporters) must continue using, improving and recommending it in all our projects. The software will speak for itself!
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:5, Insightful)
For isntance, if this increases apache's user base by even 1% and adds a layer of legitimacy do you really think apache will see nothing from this? Sure if the govt stamped thier money with "tax dollar" on it apache would see none but thier income would still increase: A larger user base will do that. It will increase developers, the more popular the software the more people who will want to write for it.
Next is open source as a whole. Large portions of the Govt have been really deriding free software (while large portions also support it). That makes a dent in the over all adoption of open source apps (the govt says it's unsafe so it must be). Publicity of a somewhat trusted body means more people willing to try some of it, if what they get works well (and apache does) it makes it much easier to switch them. Stuff like this really helps the pointy hair type fell more confortable with a switch.
And in the end publicity will generate MCUH more money than a direct line through this company ever would.
Re:How are public dollars supporting it? (Score:1, Insightful)
Ummm, that doesn't make any sense whatsoever! Are you thinking GPL??? Just cause software might be open source, depending on the license, it doesn't mean it'll be re-released as open source.
Take the less restrictive (err.. non-restrictive) BSD license as an exmaple. Anyone can take that code, close source it with all rights and make million$!
GPL on the other hand, whole different ball game.
You should either...
1.) Get a clue!
2.) Be specific on what you mean, GPL vs BSD vs MIT vs
3.) Get a clue!
4.) Troll on elsewhere!
5.) Get another clue!
IBM supports Open Source (Score:2, Insightful)