News and views from a software developer's perspective
Wednesday, July 24, 2002Does anybody really think that Ogg Vorbis is "free from patents or royalties"?
Bruce Perens: "I consider the announcement to be only a first step for RealNetworks"
Mr. Perens says: "Unless the company can modify its business models, it will be difficult for it to achieve a real partnership with the open-source community." Since when was a partnership with the open-source community a goal for a business? How about making enough money to stay in business?
Ted Lewis wrote in a column once that open source was the strategy of the weak, not the strategy of the strong. Yes, some companies like Red Hat start with open source from the beginning, and those companies have a much better chance of succeeding. However, when I see a company like RealNetworks going down the open source path, I have my doubts. It really does appear to be a desperate measure, or the "strategy of the weak", as Ted Lewis calls it.
I will be happy to see open source software coming from RealNetworks, because it means more free stuff for me. However, it also has me a little concerned. Is there any way to stop Microsoft from achieving dominance in media formats?