yle=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex=
; padding-left: 1ex;">

=C2=A0anyone hear this latest anti-OSS management mantra?



=C2=A0"Open Source: free as in kittens."



=C2=A0-jmz

On Sun, Jul 26, 2009 at 1:48 PM, Contrarian<.net">adrba-at-nyct.net> wrote:

>

> The text at the link I just sent

>

> Eric Raymond's tips for effective open source advocacy

>

> =C2=A0 by Rick Moen

>

> =C2=A0 If anyone is qualified to tell us how to effectively lobby for =
the

> =C2=A0 wider adoption of open-source software, it's Eric S. Raymon=
d. After

> =C2=A0 being propelled -- much to his surprise -- to sudden global pro=
minence

> =C2=A0 in 1998 through his involvement in inspiring and launching the =
Mozilla

> =C2=A0 Project, Raymond found himself the de facto spokesman for an en=
tire

> =C2=A0 movement, observed that he was fairly good about it, and so set=
about

> =C2=A0 explaining how and why. He briefed a large audience at the rece=
nt

> =C2=A0 LinuxWorld Conference & Expo on these happenings, and on ho=
w the rest

> =C2=A0 of us might do likewise, in a talk entitled "Meme Hacking =
for Fun and

> =C2=A0 Profit."

>

> =C2=A0 Eric's first step was to figure out why the 1998 effort sud=
denly

> =C2=A0 worked, making business interested in our community's softw=
are model,

> =C2=A0 after nearly two decades of entirely futile attempts. It wasn&#=
39;t easy.

>

> =C2=A0 In May of 1997, Eric published an essay, "The Cathedral an=
d the

> =C2=A0 Bazaar" (CatB), explaining his theories of how free softwa=
re (the only

> =C2=A0 term for it, then) gets created, and why the process creates su=
ch good

> =C2=A0 software so quickly, based on his experience managing a piece o=
f

> =C2=A0 utility software called Fetchmail (see Resources). This

> =C2=A0 socio-technical analysis, while written to be accessible to ar>
> =C2=A0 nontechnical audience, succeeded only in generating acclaim amo=
ng

> =C2=A0 propeller-beanie Linux users -- preaching to the choir. Eric re=
mained

> =C2=A0 better known as Guy Steele's successor in editing the MIT J=
argon File,

> =C2=A0 one of the cornerstones of "hackish" (computer progra=
mmer) culture,

> =C2=A0 and as mastermind of the shadowy, tongue-in-cheek (or so They w=
ould

> =C2=A0 have us think) Eric Conspiracy -- until January 23, 1998.

>

> =C2=A0 That morning, Eric received an emailed tip from a friend, sugge=
sting

> =C2=A0 he look at the prior day's announcement from Netscape, and =
cryptically

> =C2=A0 commenting "I think someone's been reading your paper.=
" And so Eric

> =C2=A0 did -- and was thunderstruck by the fact that a major corporati=
on

> =C2=A0 seemed to be implementing his software-management ideas. Indeed=
, many

> =C2=A0 parts of the announcement seemed to be quoting CatB directly.r>
>

> =C2=A0 He cold-called Netscape Communications Corporation's main t=
elephone

> =C2=A0 number, working through a bureaucratic maze for fifteen minutes=
,

> =C2=A0 seeming to reach a dead end at a voicemail mailbox. His bewilde=
red

> =C2=A0 message went something like, "Hello, my name is Eric Raymo=
nd, and I

> =C2=A0 think I had something to do with your announcement. Could someb=
ody

> =C2=A0 please call me?" Within the hour, Roseanne Cino of Netscap=
e Marketing

> =C2=A0 called back, saying, "Yes, all of our top people read your=
paper and

> =C2=A0 loved it. Jim Barksdale is giving your name to the national pre=
ss, and

> =C2=A0 wants to meet you."

>

> =C2=A0 As Eric says, "This was the moment of vindication our trib=
e had been

> =C2=A0 waiting for for twenty years." During all that time, ther>
> =C2=A0 technical/Unix community had received essentially nothing butr>
> =C2=A0 brushoffs, being considered impractical freaks in sandals, even=
though

> =C2=A0 it offered clearly better technology. It was clear that the pro=
blem

> =C2=A0 was not one of substance, but of perception, and Eric saw that =
Mozilla

> =C2=A0 was our key to changing that.

>

> =C2=A0 We'd never had a success before, and a procedural analysis =
of the

> =C2=A0 traditional Unix evangelism strategy, typically carried out by<=
br>
> =C2=A0 software engineers within their own companies, showed why. In a=
such a

> =C2=A0 situation, you typically would:

> =C2=A0 =C2=A01. Become excited by some great technology, and become im=
pressed by

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 its potential to change the world for the better.=


> =C2=A0 =C2=A02. Talk it up to your peers.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A03. Join your peers in approaching the next level of manag=
ement,

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 trying to get them excited, and hope that the exc=
itement trickles

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 upward until it reaches the top and changes compa=
ny policies.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A04. Sit back and wait for the people at the top to clap th=
eir hands to

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 their foreheads, and exclaim in a sudden burst of=
enlightenment,

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 "Gosh, we were wrong all along! But we'l=
l change our fundamental

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 policies and fix everything!"

>

> =C2=A0 Enlightenment doesn't flow uphill

>

> =C2=A0 Of course, real authority hierarchies don't work that way. =
Instead,

> =C2=A0 you have, in rough terms, three strata.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Decision-makers inhabit the top of the hierarchy.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Below them are the middle managers, whose job is to be=
conservers

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 of organisational stability. When asked to change=
company

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 policies, their job is to say "no."

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * At the bottom are the implementers. This is where dwel=
l the

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Unix-loving engineering staff.

>

> =C2=A0 The traditional strategy fails because it hits the purposely>
> =C2=A0 granite-hard wall of middle management, and advocates of open s=
ource

> =C2=A0 software will wait until Doomsday trying to work past them. And=
until

> =C2=A0 1998, that's exactly what they were doing.

>

> =C2=A0 Mozilla gave us an example to point to, but also material to le=
arn

> =C2=A0 from: in that case, enlightenment did not trickle up from below=
. One

> =C2=A0 guy at the top (Jim Clark) encountered a persuasive essay, had =
a

> =C2=A0 moment of enlightenment, and enforced his new vision on everyon=
e

> =C2=A0 beneath him.

>

> =C2=A0 Clark was convinced, not by moral suasion, but by CatB's pr=
agmatic

> =C2=A0 analysis showing why free software yielded shorter time to deli=
very,

> =C2=A0 better code quality, and lower costs.

>

> =C2=A0 Ambassador to the suits

>

> =C2=A0 Eric could see that the Mozilla code release would be a crucial=


> =C2=A0 moment, which could yield any of several alternative outcomes:<=
br>
> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Mozilla could succeed, demonstrating open source's=
benefits.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Mozilla could succeed, but in a way that made it appea=
r to be a

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 one-time, freak case.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Mozilla might be perceived as having failed, and then =
become the

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 standard reason cited in business circles for not=
trying again.

>

> =C2=A0 He decided that he could help ensure the first outcome by worki=
ng out

> =C2=A0 a credible, coherent explanation of the open source model and i=
ts

> =C2=A0 benefits that would be amenable to the right sort of audience. =
That

> =C2=A0 target audience would be precisely the one ignored by prior adv=
ocates:

> =C2=A0 Fortune 500 chief executive officers.

>

> =C2=A0 This is easier said than done. As Eric puts it, "Most of u=
s don't play

> =C2=A0 golf with Jack Welsh [longtime CEO of General Electric]. We nee=
d some

> =C2=A0 other way to slip our LSD in their water supply."

>

> =C2=A0 Thus, Eric figured, our best bet is a media-centered campaign a=
imed at

> =C2=A0 Fortune 500 CEOs. It might seem at first glance that entreprene=
urs

> =C2=A0 would be a better bet, but the Fortune 500 are the biggest, mos=
t

> =C2=A0 influential market that can be reached by a single marketing ca=
mpaign.

> =C2=A0 He decided to concentrate exclusively on the following news out=
lets:

> =C2=A0 the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Barron'=
;s, and the

> =C2=A0 Economist.

>

> =C2=A0 This list pointedly excludes technical journals, since the peop=
le we

> =C2=A0 need to reach don't read them, but leave that task to under=
lings. Eric

> =C2=A0 cited what he called Rule Number One of Marketing: "Appeal=
to the

> =C2=A0 prospect's interests and values, not to yours." If the=
smarter, more

> =C2=A0 forward-looking CEOs were convinced to come aboard, the others =
would

> =C2=A0 tend to follow.

>

> =C2=A0 The sales pitch

>

> =C2=A0 The term "open source," coined by Chris Peterson of t=
he Foresight

> =C2=A0 Institute at a strategy session Eric attended in February 1998 =
after

> =C2=A0 the Netscape announcement, followed naturally from this logic. =
Eric

> =C2=A0 feels that the traditional term, "free software," had=
been a millstone

> =C2=A0 around all of our necks, and was simply a nonstarter as rhetori=
c to

> =C2=A0 convince any but the hard-core believers. From the businessman&=
#39;s

> =C2=A0 perspective, "free software" sounds at best ambiguous=
, or possibly

> =C2=A0 even threatening: you must explain which meaning of "free&=
quot; you intend

> =C2=A0 (free as in speech, rather than free as in beer), and then clar=
ify

> =C2=A0 what free speech has to do with software. Your audience might r=
eact,

> =C2=A0 "Free? That sounds cheap, shoddy." Or, worse, "F=
ree? That sounds like

> =C2=A0 communism."

>

> =C2=A0 It's much more effective to sell the concept on the basis o=
f

> =C2=A0 reliability, instead. Big corporations lose millions of dollars=
per

> =C2=A0 hour when their datacenters go down. Executives are keenly inte=
rested

> =C2=A0 in avoiding that.

>

> =C2=A0 Also, even concerning their desktop boxes, executives are aware=
of the

> =C2=A0 money drain. Mean time before failure (MTBF) of Windows 9x is l=
ess

> =C2=A0 than a week. As an installation ages, that shrinks to less than=
a day.

> =C2=A0 With Linux, a box left alone has MTBF of around two years.

>

> =C2=A0 Your winning points will be:

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Total cost of ownership (TCO)

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Insulation from risk and loss of control

>

> =C2=A0 An executive who allows his company to becomes dependent on sof=
tware

> =C2=A0 he is not allowed to see inside, let alone change, has lost con=
trol of

> =C2=A0 his business, and is on the wrong side of a monopoly relationsh=
ip with

> =C2=A0 a vendor who can thereby control his business. With open source=
, the

> =C2=A0 executive is in control, and nobody can take that away. The

> =C2=A0 opportunity to reduce and control business risk is a key concer=
n of

> =C2=A0 any CEO. You'll be listened to.

>

> =C2=A0 Eric warned that none of this will work without purging one'=
;s mind of

> =C2=A0 the common techophile's notion that business people are stu=
pid. Eric

> =C2=A0 characterised them as "differently optimised," and sa=
id that we should

> =C2=A0 respect them for their specialty. For one thing, you cannot sel=
l to

> =C2=A0 people if you project an attitude of disrespect. Even if you do=
n't

> =C2=A0 express it explicitly, it will come through in body language,r>
> =C2=A0 intonation, and other subtle aspects of your demeanour.

>

> =C2=A0 Of course, it probably seems reckless to approach one's com=
pany CEO

> =C2=A0 and advocate changing company policies, and it may well be so. =
It's

> =C2=A0 usually more successful to work on other people's organisat=
ions, since

> =C2=A0 companies seem oddly resistant to listening to their own techni=
cal

> =C2=A0 people. Also, partially because most executives will be less in=
clined

> =C2=A0 than Jim Clark to read long essays on the Web, Eric has publish=
ed "The

> =C2=A0 Cathedral and the Bazaar" as part of a book of the same na=
me,

> =C2=A0 available from O'Reilly, suitable for leaving as anonymous =
gifts on

> =C2=A0 executive desks.

>

> =C2=A0 Dress to persuade

>

> =C2=A0 Eric himself tries to adopt the Prince from Another Country sta=
nce, a

> =C2=A0 term coined by science-fiction writer Norman Spinrad to describ=
e his

> =C2=A0 technique for being accepted in multiple communities: You adopt=
the

> =C2=A0 attitude of being a high-ranking member of a different hierarch=
y,

> =C2=A0 which gets you respect without subjecting you to hierarchicalr>
> =C2=A0 obligations. Thus, when Spinrad was trying to gain respect inr>
> =C2=A0 Hollywood as a scriptwriter, he conducted himself as a respecte=
d

> =C2=A0 science fiction author. Conversely, in the science fiction comm=
unity,

> =C2=A0 he billed himself as a leading Hollywood scriptwriter.

>

> =C2=A0 Following in the same mold, Eric dresses well but casually, and=


> =C2=A0 donates his time as a speaker on open source, rather than billi=
ng it

> =C2=A0 as consulting time. Dressing "well" includes good sho=
es, meaning, in

> =C2=A0 Eric's case, $90 Rockport walking shoes rather than beat-up=
Reeboks.

> =C2=A0 He generally combines these with a neat polo shirt and slacks.<=
br>
>

> =C2=A0 Don't dress like a hacker, Eric warns. Dress the way hacker=
s do in the

> =C2=A0 movies. You want to look like a credible, respected member of a=


> =C2=A0 foreign social system to an audience of executives who've n=
ever come

> =C2=A0 closer to a real hacker than a Sandra Bullock movie. Therefore,=


> =C2=A0 "Birkenstocks are right out!"

>

> =C2=A0 Even worse than underdressing, as a strategy for being credible=
to

> =C2=A0 executives, would be overdressing. A technology advocate dresse=
d in a

> =C2=A0 business suit would tend to come across as a bad imitation of a=


> =C2=A0 business person -- and thus a person to ignore. It's far sa=
fer to

> =C2=A0 stick to neat, good-fabric casual wear.

>

> =C2=A0 Amy Abascal, head of the Web development team at VA Linux Syste=
ms,

> =C2=A0 interjected, "But what should the technical woman wear?&qu=
ot; I had a brief

> =C2=A0 moment of lurid anticipation that Eric might recommend that she=


> =C2=A0 emulate Carrie-Anne Moss. The daydream passed, and Eric quite r=
ightly

> =C2=A0 pointed out that the high-quality black casual wear Amy was wea=
ring

> =C2=A0 would serve perfectly.

>

> =C2=A0 Local Linux user and magazine columnist Mae Ling Mak shouted ou=
t, "But

> =C2=A0 what about me?" Eric gazed at Mae Ling's black vinyl c=
heongsam and

> =C2=A0 replied, "Mae Ling, you're a law unto yourself. Never =
change a thing."

>

> =C2=A0 The other sales front

>

> =C2=A0 Eric anticipated that his other task would be equally tough:>
> =C2=A0 convincing free-software advocates to change their rhetoric whe=
n

> =C2=A0 speaking to business. The Open Source Initiative was founded in=


> =C2=A0 February 1998 towards that end, with Eric and fellow OSI direct=
or

> =C2=A0 Bruce Perens advocating the new approach among traditional

> =C2=A0 free-software advocates.

>

> =C2=A0 To their utter astonishment, they observed 85 percent of the co=
mmunity

> =C2=A0 switching the wording on its Web sites within six weeks, sugges=
ting

> =C2=A0 pent-up demand in the community for a more effective, less

> =C2=A0 confrontational approach. Some organs of the press that used to=
carry

> =C2=A0 what Eric termed "condescending, snarky pieces about free =
software"

> =C2=A0 fell over themselves to speak glowingly of open source.

>

> =C2=A0 Talking to the press

>

> =C2=A0 Eric's strategy for getting his views across in the press (=
"press

> =C2=A0 manipulation," he freely admits) relies on knowing that mo=
st people

> =C2=A0 are asleep most of the time. It's impossible to keep your a=
udience

> =C2=A0 awake. Therefore, you keep a good stock of attention-getting so=
und

> =C2=A0 bites in reserve, and zap the reporter with them at well-spaced=


> =C2=A0 intervals. The theory, which Eric claims works quite reliably, =
is that

> =C2=A0 the reporter will remember the sound bites, reproducing them as=
the

> =C2=A0 backbone of his coverage, and discard the parts he half-dozed t=
hrough.

> =C2=A0 (This reporter found the suggestion about as annoying as the wr=
ist

> =C2=A0 cramp from his nine pages of lecture notes, but concedes the po=
int may

> =C2=A0 be more correct than not. Eric stoked some of our egos a bit by=
saying

> =C2=A0 that technology reporters tended to be way ahead of that curve =
on

> =C2=A0 account of the same hackish traits that got them into that fiel=
d in

> =C2=A0 the first place. Sorry, no kind words for technology readers.)<=
br>
>

> =C2=A0 The other side of the coin

>

> =C2=A0 One member of the audience asked how corporations should approa=
ch

> =C2=A0 relations with the open source community. It's the same pro=
blem as

> =C2=A0 before, just from the other side: "Appeal to the prospect&=
#39;s interests

> =C2=A0 and values, not to yours." Once more, if anyone is qualifi=
ed to

> =C2=A0 address this point, it's Eric.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Never lie to geeks. They take it seriously. Most gener=
al members

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 of the public expect casual prevarication and eva=
sion, but

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 technical activists notice it and are offended.r>
> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Respect community customs. In particular, respect the =
community's

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 software licences. Don't write your own and e=
xpect to be greeted

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 with open arms.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Value your own internal experts. The community doesn&#=
39;t like

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 dealing with faceless organisations, and prefers =
one-on-one

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 "horizontal" dealings with individuals.=
Therefore, identify your

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 own people who are likely contacts with the commu=
nity -- who may

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 already be part of it without your being aware of=
it -- and

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 burnish their presence and potential as spokesper=
sons.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Give the community members toys; you'll make them =
happy.

>

> =C2=A0 But seriously, folks

>

> =C2=A0 As a bit of parting advice, Eric suggested that the most valuab=
le

> =C2=A0 skill to pick up is that of effective public speaking. There ar=
e a

> =C2=A0 variety of groups that aim to teach it, but Eric found his mode=
l in

> =C2=A0 what at first might seem an unlikely place: stand-up comedy, wh=
ich he

> =C2=A0 says can be effectively studied for tips on timing, punctuation=
, and

> =C2=A0 body language, among other things.

>

> =C2=A0 Eric is an animated and extroverted speaker, with a flair for r=
eaching

> =C2=A0 out to audiences, and a whimsical sense of fun -- but conceptua=
lising

> =C2=A0 him as a Robin Williams or Mike Myers puts him in a new light.<=
br>
>

> =C2=A0 Me: Maybe I'd be a reporter.

> =C2=A0 Eric: An evil reporter?

> =C2=A0 Me: You always do that!

>

> =C2=A0 Resources

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * The Fetchmail utility:

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 /" target=3D"_blank">http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/fetchmail/

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," Eric S. Raym=
ond:

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 cathedral-bazaar/" target=3D"_blank">http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/ca=
thedral-bazaar/

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * The Jargon File, aka the New Hacker's Dictionary:<=
br>
> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 target=3D"_blank">http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Eric Conspiracy Secret Labs:

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 rget=3D"_blank">http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/ecsl/

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * Netscape's announcement of the planned source code=
release:

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 wsrelease558.html" target=3D"_blank">http://home.netscape.com/newsref/pr/ne=
wsrelease558.html

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 * The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Ope=
n Source by

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 an Accidental Revolutionary, Eric S. Raymond (O&#=
39;Reilly and

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Associates, 1999):

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 rget=3D"_blank">http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/cb/

>

> =C2=A0 Rick Moen is a recovering system administrator in the San Franc=
isco

> =C2=A0 Bay Area, who served as primary Bay Area organiser for Windows =
Refund

> =C2=A0 Day, and has been one of the main troublemakers behind Silicon =
Valley

> =C2=A0 Linux User Group's Silicon Valley Tea Party, the Great Linu=
x Revolt of

> =C2=A0 '98, and other Bay Area Linux PR events.

> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 ________________________________________________________=
_________

>

> =C2=A0 Copyright (C) 2000 by Rick Moen, fia.com">rick-at-linuxmafia.com.

> =C2=A0 Article first appeared in LinuxWorld.com

>