25 Nov 2002 grape   » (Journeyer)

"SAP Software executives like Dr. Rudolf Munz aren't about to eliminate their big database partners: They know they can't. Their tactic is to "energize" the market, a polite way of saying customers the world over are going to critically examine high-priced proprietary offerings once they see SAP DB." (http://www.open-mag.com/1995583279.htm)

The quote at the top of that open-mag article made me jump up and down and point to the screen and yell, "YEAH! Like that! That's what I mean! Thats the way to go people!" For the past couple months I have been asking myself if anyone else thinks like this. I was beginning to wonder if my fellow open source folks out there were going to see the light about the realities of competition. Competition is good, it turns up the heat in the kitchen. Competition in the open market is just what open source needs to put everything in perspective. The user's perspective that is. Unfortunately the stark realities of the outcomes can swing both ways. Maybe that is why so many people seem to be against the notion. Maybe they really aren't against the notion at all, but just never went nose to nose before. All I know is that the intrinsic morality of a product doesn't have a damned thing to do with the uesr's perceived quality of a product, nor does it effect the overall value of that product to the user. They just don't care. They want their apps to work. If the solutions delivered to them exceed their expectations, they will reward you with that luxurious opportunity to present them yet another product.

On a similar note, I saw Lawrence Lessig on the Tech-TV Big Thinkers show last night. The first part of the show was great, and a nice introduction to culture and copyright. The second half of the show had me a little dissapointed. There is no way I am going to agree with the whole Grimm/Disney analogy. I will have to rant on that a bit later once I round up all of my body armor. It aint gonna be pretty folks. The Tech-TV article on the show is: http://www.techtv.com/bigthinkers/features/story/0,23008,3344681,00.html

Happy Monday!

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