The Long View, the Wide View and the Deep View

From every angle — whether anticipating the future, surveying the wide range of new technologies, or delving deep into implementation — open source software (OSS) is harnessing the prime drivers of Information Technology (IT).

The Long View

Recent research from Harvard Business School argues that, given the right mix of conditions, OSS can ultimately displace traditional software like Microsoft Windows. But “world domination” is not as simple as one might think. Several factors need to be in place for OSS to succeed. Surprisingly, it’s not enough to be free or even better than traditional software.

Given Microsoft’s overwhelming numerical advantage on the desktop today, no degree of “better” or “free” alone will position OSS to kill off Windows. What’s needed is the additional backing of significant strategic partners in the software ecosystem. Already many governments and multinational vendors are stepping up to fulfill this role by increasing their backing of OSS. Consequently, according to the Harvard researchers, Microsoft’s best survival tactic against such a threat may be to sharpen its psychological warfare of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD).

The Wide View

Processing and communicating information across heterogeneous computing environments requires an agreement on standards. Early on, standards were primarily industry driven. Then, as the need for interoperability became more complex, a process of collaborative standards development, or open standards, emerged. With the blossoming of the Internet, open standards became the dominant paradigm for industry, government and consumers to work together.

“An alarming din of FUD will roar up against open source adoption.”

Open source fits perfectly into this collaborative standards development process. For example, producing an open source implementation of a standard like LDAP helps confirm the workability of a complex technology. Open source also helps technology stakeholders collaborate on the features and operational behavior intended by a standard — ultimately forming a reference implementation. Fundamentally, the same dynamic drives both open source software development as well as collaborative standards development.

The Deep View

As equal participants, OSS guarantees collaborators comprehensive access and control. Unfettered control is required by many governments as well as by specific industries like embedded device manufacturers. For example, control of every detail of implementation allows governments to verify security unequivocally. In a different corner of the ecosystem, complete and royalty-free control allows manufacturers of appliances and embedded devices to shave their prices to the thinnest of margins needed to compete in global markets.

No other software development and deployment paradigm allows this depth of access and control. What’s more, open access and control means that open source is self-escrowing. OSS can not be forced out-of-date as long as any user wants to maintain it, even to the point of forking the project if necessary.

Desperate and Deliberate Counter Moves

From each point of view, the imperatives for OSS are clear. In the long view, the imperatives include better, more cost-effective software and… a little help from strategic partners. In the wide view, advantages include the ability of OSS to address heterogeneous computing environments together with an unparalleled capacity to express the open standards necessary for evolving communications and computing technologies. In the deep view, OSS empowers access and control of every detail and nuance of technology and its expression in form of software.

But watch out for desperate counter moves by proprietary vendors. As legacy vendors seek to checkmate OSS using the latest business school advice or their own counsel, an alarming din is likely to roar up aimed at scaring potential open source adopters, at dividing the open source community, and at defeating government policy mandating openness, transparency and competition. In short, prepare for the coming of an unprecedented propaganda war of FUD.