It's enough to look at this to read it in the "right light":
"A new "shared source" initiative is emerging whereby governments and large
corporate clients can access proprietary software code, helping to assuage
fears of secret security backdoors. The code is called "shared" rather than
"open", since clients are allowed to see the code but are not allowed to
modify it. Shared source initiatives are expected to pick up steam in the
years ahead. "
Firstly "shared source" is microsoft-only term and AFAIK no one else is
joining it in the industry. Not only it has nothing to do with OSS, since
when "shared source" became an alternative to OSS and what exactly
governemnts going to benefit from having access to the code?
I thought the benfites were for the developers who can modify and extend and
redistirubte and not for the end users - and in that respect it has something
to do with the costs only indirectly.
The only relevant point was that OSS is a real power in the commercial
software world, like Sauer rightfully notes, including behind Microsoft's
success.
Sauer also forgets to mention IBM and Novell in respect to who drives OSS
development and who will fulfill "customers needs" as oppose to "the
developers needs".
On Monday 08 December 2003 21:27, Gabor Szabo wrote:
> I have not seen it mentioned here (maybe I wasn't looking ?)
>
> Open question
> The government claims open-source software means a 60% saving. It doesn't
> add up.
>
> Basically it sais that the TCO of Open Source is higher than that of
> propriatery solutions and it because of the "forking problem" it is risky
> to use OS.
> It sais that the Government of Israel should not move from MS an
> other propriatery solutions to OS.
>
> The English version of the article can be found here:
> http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=747399&fid=980
>
> Gabor
>
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