The OpenDS situation
Whether this series of events digresses into a full-fledged open source nightmare for Sun remains to be seen. However, it is clear that a lack of communication and commonly agreed upon execution exposed what was initially an internal fudge as a publicly-visible stain on the company's open source friendly title. Before grasping how this reflects on Sun as an open source company, it is critical to separate the term of democratic from that of open source. Unfortunately for a great many 'purists' this proves exceedingly difficult, especially when it comes to a large organization like Sun. However, as long as the expectation that open source implies democracy continues to persist, there is bound to be uproar whenever the dynamics of top-down corporations collide with open source communities.
The bottom line is that, of all the characteristics that an open source effort should exhibit, democratic is not one. If that sounds backwards, consider the benevolent dictator model. Last time I checked, all dictators (benevolent or otherwise) wield a brand of unilateral authority such that democracy (in the true sense of the word) need not apply at all. Yet this can prove OK so long as a strong sense of meritocracy, open discussion/debate and low barriers to participation remain present. What In the OpenDS scenario, it's also worth noting that Sun has far more to lose than gain by recklessly alienating any of the company's open source community in which it is substantially invested. Did the company handle issues regarding OpenDS efficiently? No. Were the lines between participation as an employee and as a private citizen clearly outlined in advanced? And should they have been? No, and of course, respectively. Yet with that in mind, Sun's purported behavior speaks to inadequate planning and botched execution as opposed to a thoroughly ingrained strong arm tactics.
Another Apache Juggernaut?
For anyone keeping track of the emergence of open source in the enterprise development arena, it's old news that Tomcat has emerged as an epicenter of the trend towards lightweight Java architectures on the server-side. This isn't directly relevant from a dollars and cents perspective since its producer, Apache, is non-profit. However, Tomcat continues to serve as the key component in the penetration into enterprise data centers by an increasing array of open source software players like the SpringSource, Terracotta and Hyperic. Unfortunately, there aren't those handy NetCraft stats to quote in support of the fact that Tomcat has grown into a juggernaut in its own right.
ESTD and open source software
I've commented on Savio's thoughts on integrating free users into the paying customers base. However, my perspective is that his viewpoint is critical to coming to grips with the realities of commercial open source. While I can't speak for him, I take his points on this subject as coming from an objective angle and not an oppositional/critical one. In reality, it is and will continue to prove an extremely tough game for commercial open source companies to grow their revenue figures along the same lines as proprietary counterparts. That's not to say it can't or won't be done, but making it happen will entail far more than continuing with business as usual. In effect, it's going to take a huge dose of innovation at a strategic, business and technological level. Something I expect fully to occur, but a tough task nonetheless.
Forging ahead with open source software support and services
It is worth watching uptake of the SourceForge.net support and services marketplace in light of the steadily expanding pool of qualified providers. Corralling this diverse basin into a single integrated site will prove challenging, indeed. Most importantly, SourceForge.net must find ways to stimulate an actual marketplace such that the service does not devolve into a static directory of old ratings and broken links. In a way, the marketplace must address similar challenges that any of the projects hosted on SourceForge.net does: courting a community of users, encouraging participation and remaining relevant as the open source model continues to undergo successive waves of evolution.
About the blogger: Alex Fletcher is lead industry analyst at Entiva Group Incorporated, a research and analyst firm which specializes exclusively on the open source software industry. In addition to hisanalyst coverage activities, he advises organizations of all sizes on establishing governance, strategy and policy surrounding use of open source software as a competitive differentiator. Alex has prior experience as a consultant, software engineer and start-up founder. He can be reached at alex dot fletcher -at- entivagroup dot com.
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