MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-07-15 |
| FROM | From: "Inker, Evan"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] HP: Open Source Here to Stay
|
July 10, 2003
HP: Open Source Here to Stay
By Peter Galli
http://www.eweek.com/print_article/0,3668,a=44528,00.asp
PORTLAND-Open-source software has significantly affected Hewlett-Packard's
business, with its open source review board looking at between two and 10
new open-source and Linux products a week, Stormy Peters, who runs HP's open
source program office, said in her keynote address here on Thursday.
In a talk titled "The Business of Open Source in the Enterprise" at the
O'Reilly Open Source Convention (Oscon) here, Peters said open-source
software is here to stay, evidenced by the growth of Linux in the server
market.
Open source is not successful because it is free, as the software component
comprises a small part of total costs to an enterprise, but because it is
effective, she said.
In a rationale for why businesses should consider open sourcing software,
Peters said it could commoditize a market they did not control; could make a
product or technology pervasive; could lower the product's overall cost; and
could promote hardware or other value-add components.
Open sourcing could also create a custom solution for customers that would
then allow companies to provide profitable services in relation to that
product; it could also allow vendors to exit a business by giving the code
to the community; and could allow businesses to leverage resources from
others.
But there are instances when open sourcing technologies is not a good idea,
particularly if the product is a control point for a company, such as
Microsoft's Windows domination of the desktop market, she said.
"The cost of open sourcing some products also does not justify the benefit,
particularly if it involves the misdirection and refocusing of resources and
if the intellectual property risk cannot be justified.
"HP does not allow any software to be open sourced if it cannot be proved
that the rights to that code belongs to us. You also shouldn't open source a
product if it competes against other products in the open-source community
and doesn't add value or differentiate itself in any way," she said.
Customers should use open-source technologies if they want to promote an
existing standard or if there is an existing, pervasive technology, she
said, adding that there are also some cases where open-source technologies
should not be used.
These include instances where the technology's direction does not match the
company's strategic goals; if the product's chief architect does not agree
with the proposal; and if the time-to-market is critical and that product
does not currently have all the features needed, she said.
HP's internal open source policy was designed to ensure legal compliance,
honor open source licenses, prevent unintentional "copylefting," establish
proper business controls based on a clear understanding of open source, and
have a place where all open-source projects are understood, Peters said.
Open source customers also need to understand what they are using and the
license governing it. Support levels also differ and are often not included
with open-source products.
Documentation is sometimes not available or as comprehensive as with
proprietary products, and indemnification and warranties can also be
different from a piece of proprietary software.
Customers, especially governments, also want to know who is contributing the
code, and are concerned about possible issues around ownership of that code,
she said.
Regards,
Evan M. Inker (New York) x. 4615
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