The problem remains largely an educational one - open source still has a stigma attached and is overlooked due to perceived problems with complexity, confusion over licensing, support, a whiff of geekiness and no single "throat to choke".
I know for pretty much every major open source tool there is a well funded and visible firm offering support but what the large public sector and corporate users need is for a major IT services company to come out and say "we only do open source and having us help you move off these proprietary platforms will have these benefits".
This sort of heavy-handedness could easily be the beginning of the end for the US-led internet and startup growth we have seen over the last 10 years or so.
As the world becomes more connected and collaborative I can see alternatives to many of the monolithic services really taking hold and a greater number of smaller firms competing.
As a Brit it might mean I get to try cool things sooner, too ;-)
Authored Comments
The problem remains largely an educational one - open source still has a stigma attached and is overlooked due to perceived problems with complexity, confusion over licensing, support, a whiff of geekiness and no single "throat to choke".
I know for pretty much every major open source tool there is a well funded and visible firm offering support but what the large public sector and corporate users need is for a major IT services company to come out and say "we only do open source and having us help you move off these proprietary platforms will have these benefits".
IBM Open Services anyone ;-)
This sort of heavy-handedness could easily be the beginning of the end for the US-led internet and startup growth we have seen over the last 10 years or so.
As the world becomes more connected and collaborative I can see alternatives to many of the monolithic services really taking hold and a greater number of smaller firms competing.
As a Brit it might mean I get to try cool things sooner, too ;-)