“As an entrepreneur many times over, he hopes he’s really getting it right this time.” So states half of Mitch Kapor’s terse biography on the Open Source Applications Foundation staff page. Read the interview here.
At the heart of the open-source revolution
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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this guy seems dead on. he knows that the better oss can make their software, the more microsoft have to improve their offerings. therefore, better software for them people who will never use oss.
win-win for everyone… except microsoft who actually have to do something
…better software for them people who will never use oss.
win-win for everyone…
The software might improve and that in itself would be good for end-users, but I doubt that aggressive proprietary companies will change their appalling licensing conditions under which they peddle their wares.
On the other hand, I could be wrong and FOSS could be an influence that makes proprietary companies rethink their current licensing strategies. A broadening of end-user rights with relation to use and number of running copies would not be a bad thing.
Maybe something like a “per home licensing for non-commercial use” scheme. This way home users could purchase one set of software to power their home computers without having to worry about excessive cost or be tempted to commit copyright infringement.