Is Open Source Being Privatized?
“The success of open source programmers has had a far-reaching impact on the tech industry. Linux has spread to more than 25% of the world’s servers and has become a legitimate rival to Microsoft Corp.’s Windows. The open-source approach is compelling enough that IBM and Sun Microsystems Inc. have become major supporters, utterly changing how they market software.
“Yet in recent weeks the open-source community has been thrown into tumult. Software giant Oracle Corp. has acquired two small open-source companies and is in negotiations to buy at least one more. Many experts believe this is the beginning of a broader trend in which established tech companies scoop up promising open-source startups.”
BusinessWeek Online. Open Season On Open Source? March 13, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
