IP: Re: Dan Gillmor's eJournal -- Microsoft's Attack on Open Source: Linus Torvalds Replies

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "Dave Winer" <dave () userland com>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>, <ip-sub-1 () majordomo pobox com>
> Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 09:29:56 -0700
>
> Dave, there's a lot more to say about this.
>
> Dan characterizes Mundie's speech as an attack, but take a look again, where
> is the attack?
>
> As the CEO of a small commercial software developer, it's good to have the
> largest commercial developer working to re-establish our practice as having
> a future. There's been so much bluster about the negative aspects of open
> source from the proponents of open source, it demands a rebuttal. Commercial
> development has created a lot of what we use today, things we take for
> granted. Sure open source made a contribution, but so did commercial
> development.
>
> Linus Torvalds speaks well for open source. But even in the example of
> Newton, perhaps the Bill Gates of his time, there was Leibniz, who was more
> like Linus. It's curious that Linus cites Newton as a shining example of
> open development. Apparently, neither Newton or or his chief rival, Leibniz
> were particularly open! ;->
>
> Let's study this stuff carefully. There's a lot of truth in Mundie's speech,
> imho. Before rejecting it as an attack, why not sift though it and see if
> there's some value there.
>
> Dave



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