Commentary: Modern era?

Back to DiBona, Ockman & Stone and Raymond

DiBona, Ockman and Stone cite the purchase of Netscape by America Online as the end of the era of spectacular Internet IPOs. This book was actually written a few years before the spectacular dot-com collapse. How has Open Source faired in the subsequent shake out?

The need for open source software is immediately apparent. Its vast market penetration in the server market has shown that proven technologies such as apache and the linux kernel are here to stay. That said, the economic viability of such ventures is not as guaranteed as it was in 1999, at the time of writing. Additionally, apache and the linux kernel were both written from scratch largely by dedicated volunteers, and the development has not yet faltered. Companies like Red Hat have continued to profit, albeit some road blocks.

That said, they explain how "We are witnessing a new economic model take shape" that will supposedly allow the programmer to spend his time on open source software and opportunities will just roll on in. This "new economic model" might be a little exaggerated. --Purcebr 12:45, 3 Sep 2008 (EST)

By popularization of the Internet, an entry barrier around open source software is vanished because distribution cost is getting lower. Business model of software industry is converting from selling software to sharing information.

--Mikio. 14:05, 3 Sept 2008.