Open Source and and Strategic Business Risk

Open Source and and Strategic Business Risk

The logic is compelling; closed source code is an unacceptable strategic business risk. So much so that I believe it will not be very long until closed-source single-vendor acquisitions when there is an open-source alternative available will be viewed as fiduciary irresponsibility.
Eric Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar.

An interesting argument: if a/the decision maker at a large company settles on a solution that turns out to have either performance problems, cost problems, or both, what recourse does the business have if they went with a closed versus open solution?

The problem with arguments like this is they assume nothing ever changes, that the straw man, in this case, the providers of closed software solutions, will always react the same way in every situation. It’s nice to count on that, but its not realistic. It’s more prudent to assume you don’t know the other’s strategy beyond what you can actually see.

In reality, the monolithic and unresponsive supplier of this scenario is sufficiently interested in ongoing license revenue to make sure theirs remains the chosen solution. Any player worthy of the name wants as many of the Fortune 500 as they can get, and will make whatever deals they have to get them.