O O Ø O O O O
Open Sores
I am getting really sick of the open source movement.
Now wait, let me qualify that a bit. I like open source software. When dealing with infrastructure code, for example, it's absolutely ludicrous to tie yourself to a closed-source vendor. Vendors don't share your world view. Vendors disappear. Vendors change their licensing policies on the eve of your product launch, leaving you with a losing business plan. Vendors change their driver policies while your product is in transit, then claim the old policy never existed, all the while asking you for another $6,000 US dollars for the product you thought you were ordering in the first place.
Yes. Building projects on top of open source infrastructure is a good idea, because it’s not open source software that bugs me. It’s the so-called movement that is chapping my ass at the moment.
It’s the so-called movement that is chapping my ass at the moment.
An example: In my younger days, I built a web-based ecommerce platform for a little Oil & Gas company. I was a good little CTO. I took the business needs, translated them into a set of technical requirements, and set out to find the best tools for the job. I ended up settling on the ACS. I won’t bore you with the details. If you haven’t heard of it, you should go cuddle up with the book.
Now, the ACS wasn’t a movement, or project. It was open source software developed by an actual company, on top of which they built a fairly successful custom programming business. The ACS had a community, yes, but it was because of the product, and not the other way around. ArsDigita was cluetrain-compliant. Outsiders were free to post to their developer forums—even contribute code—but discussions there remained largely technical.
When ArsDigita died, the ACS made the transition from open source software to an open source project, and that’s when the fit hit the proverbial shan.
I don’t mean to pick on OpenACS here (I mean hell, I’m rewriting the pd.o back end to use it). This happens in almost every project. Open source is all about ego. It was ESR himself that pointed this out when he named the currency of the open source movement as “The intangible of their own ego satisfaction and reputation among other hackers.” In the open source world, we collaborate because we have the same itch to scratch. We are paid in ego satisfaction and better results. Ego, however, takes many forms. Once the discussions turn from the technical to the political, open source becomes open sores. And you learn very quickly not to scratch a sore.
... open source becomes open sores. And you learn very quickly not to scratch a sore.
Open source is a gift culture. The gift, however, is in the code, not the philosophy. I don’t really care what your motivations are, or if they are the same as mine. If you disagree too strongly with my approach, or our goals diverge, by all means, take your ball and go home. If your itch doesn’t itch any more, quit scratching it. I know I will. Leadership by committee doesn’t work. Philosophy by committee even less so. At the end of the day, all you’re left with is a nonsensical vision statement, full of sound, fury, and comma splices, signifying nothing.
There is more code in to be written, friend, than can be dreamt of in your philosophy. And if you’ll excuse me, I have to go write some of it now.
Kjell Wooding
Tuesday, September 17,
2002
PD
DLXV