The open source juggernaut keeps rolling along
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities." Aristotle
Dear Vorticians,
Over the past few years, the amazing story that is open source software has largely been obscured by all the talk about Linux v. Windows. As much fun as it has been to watch that battle unfold, it is to my mind only a sideshow. It seems to me that there are two vastly more important aspects to the open source story that bear more coverage and more analysis.
The first is the growing range of open source solutions. Linux has certainly grown by leaps and bounds, but it is only one of open source's success stories. MySQL, the open source database, and Apache, the open source Web server software, are superstars in their own right.
But were you aware of these open source options?
- SugarCRM, an open source customer relationship management system, now in its fourth version.
- Asterisk, the open source PBX. According to supporters, "Asterisk is a complete PBX in software. It runs on Linux, BSD and MacOSX and provides all of the features you would expect from a PBX and more. Asterisk does voice-over-IP in many protocols, and can interoperate with almost all standards-based telephony equipment using relatively inexpensive hardware. Asterisk provides voicemail services with directory, call conferencing, interactive voice response and call queuing. It has support for three-way calling, caller ID services, ADSI, SIP and H.323 (as both client and gateway). "
- Xen, the open source server virtualization software that competes with EMC's wildly successful VMWare and Microsoft's Virtual Server.
- Xorp, the open source routing software. Xorp is being commercialized by a new company known as Vyatta, which you can read about in this Network World story. Vyatta is headed up by Dave Roberts, who spoke at Vortex a few years ago with his previous company Inkra. According to Roberts, customers can build a Vyatta router by downloading a CD image from the company's Web site and installing it on PC hardware. The company works with partners such as Sangoma, which makes T-1 and T-3 WAN interface cards for x86 PC systems, and plans to announce more hardware partners soon. While built on consumer PC technology, Roberts says Vyatta platforms will be robust enough for business networks. "For branch office to enterprise midrange routing, a standard x86 PC will do a lot of what you want and more."
There are many other examples of open source solutions emerging in key technology markets, which leads to what I believe is the second - and arguably most important - aspect of the open source movement.
Increasingly, open source developers are building a deeper and stronger foundation on which other open or commercial innovations can be built. In essence, these open source platforms free developers from having to build the same fundamental product components over and over. Developers can work from a rich base of technology to add new features and functions rather than wasting time building each system from scratch. You don't have to build your own routing code or virtualization capabilities - you can leverage the hard work and time invested by thousands of other smart developers.
That has the powerful effect of speeding innovation and the evolution of technology overall. New companies can capitalize on the strength of open source software and focus their efforts toward the new and value-added. This was clearly apparent at the recent DEMO conference, where many of the new products were built on open source technologies - including an ice cream-making machine that uses Linux.
And this is just the start. As advocates tackle new projects and expand existing ones, the open source juggernaut continues to build momentum. Riding the movement makes far more sense than standing in the way.
Bye for now. As always, you can reach me here.
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