[kwlug-disc] the intertoobz never forget

[unsolicited]

john at netdirect.ca wrote, On 10/09/2009 7:01 PM:
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> Not quite. I meant the more people and companies that rely on Open 
> source the more contributions will be made to support it the software 
> they rely on for income.

This is the whole IBM made OS' for the mainframes not because they 
wanted to make an OS, but because they wanted to sell the hardware. 
And if there's nothing to run on the hardware, nobody's going to buy it.

	So we'd better build an OS! (And the FOSS side is if bugs are going 
to be found and fixed, let alone the result adapted for the next 
version of the hardware, we, being IBM, should support it.)

>  Not only will small consultants provide changes
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Is this bearing out in practice? i.e. vs. a consultant making a 
proprietary change for a client, and having signed the equivalent to a 
n NDA, not being able to contribute back?

> Changes that are made by end users do not have to be distributed.

Pity. (Not the 'have to'.) If part of the sell for FOSS is community 
development, and they don't 'feel' almost obligated to put back ... 
well, it feels ... strange.

	I get a small database field change like our account codes are 
0@@##-999 sort of thing, but not 'we need to understand png not just jpg'.

I'll guess the mechanisms of giving back are less ingrained (unless 
you're a consultant or large enough shop) than the initial effort of 
just getting FOSS in there in the first place. And the former will get 
closer to the latter, in time. Or something.