Open source doesn’t always represent best value
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OSSG: Open Source doesn’t always represent the best value Janus Boye - [email protected] London, January 2010
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Transcript of Open source doesn’t always represent best value
OSSG: Open Source doesn’t always represent the best valueJanus Boye - [email protected]
London, January 2010
Who is Janus Boye?
• Founder of J. Boye – known for vendor-neutral blog, community of practice and conferences• 225 members, divided into several groups• Why community of practice:
• Much to gain from sharing ideas• No “one correct route”• Frequent changes in priorities
Some of our members
Alfa Laval, Amnesty, Arup, Borealis, Carlsberg, City of Aarhus, Danfoss, Danish Agency for Governmental Management, Elexon, Environment Agency, European Patent Office, LEGO, Maersk, Medtronic, Nordea, Odense University Hospital, Specsavers, Swarovski, SWIFT, UNHCR, Unilever, University of Copenhagen, Wienerberger, WWF
Agenda
Confusion
Open source issues1. Support & Training2. Risks3. Requirements4. Implementation5. Community
Your opportunity
An Open Source of Confusion
Open source• Low cost• Pay for services• Ease of customisation• Open platforms• Community support• Future proofing
• “Try before you buy”
Commercial / Proprietary• High cost• Pay for software• Difficult to customise• Proprietary platforms• No community support• Short-term • “Buy before you try”
True or False?
Clay Shirky“The bulk of open source projects fail, and most of
the remaining successes are quite modest. But
does that mean the threat from open systems
generally is overrated and the commercial
software industry can breathe easy? Here the
answer is no. Open source is a profound threat,
not because the open source ecosystem is
outsuccessing commercial efforts but because it
is outfailing them. Because the open source
ecosystem, and by extension open social
ecosystems generally, rely on peer production,
the work on those systems can be considerably
more experimental at a considerable less cost,
than any firm can afford”
(from page 245 of the hard cover version)
Nick Carr
“Simply put, it remains difficult, if not
impossible, to draw any broad
conclusions about IT's effect on the
competitiveness and profitability of
individual businesses”
1) Support & Training
• Who will you call?
• Quality of documentation
2) Risks
• Early mover disadvantages
• Who is responsible for bug fixing ?
• Systems don’t last forever – who will help you when they die?
• e.g. HyperContent, Mambo
3) Requirements
Case:
• Recognized that no system is perfect and meets all requirements
• Selected Plone for initial scoping exercise with small integrator
4) Implementation
• Significant cost factor
• Would you implement yourself?
5) Community
• What are your plans for engaging with the community?
Case:
• Selected TYPO3 and decided to work with small integrator while building their own implementation skills• Attended TYPO3 conference and actively participates in community
Your opportunity
1. You can save money with open source
2. Engage with the community
3. Look beyond technology when selecting a new vendor / system
Make the right decisions
Sources of vendor-neutral inspiration
CMS Watch - www.cmswatch.com
Content Here by Seth Gottliebwww.contenthere.com
Graham Oakes - www.grahamoakes.co.uk
IntranetFocus by Martin Whitewww.intranetfocus.com
Jon On Tech – www.jonontech.com
Step Two Designs - www.steptwo.com.au
Continue the conversation…
• J. Boye Blog: jboye.com/blog
• Community of Practice: jboye.com/community-of-practice
• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @janusboye
• LinkedIn: http://dk.linkedin.com/in/janusboye
