Re: [OT] Re: Troll Tech [was Re: Sco vs. IBM]

[Jesse Pollard]

On Saturday 21 June 2003 08:46, Paul Jakma wrote:
[snip]
> Perhaps, if you consider that innovation is a building process, not a
> 'think of something completely new' process we could restate that as:
>
> Creating new software:  		$$$$$$$$$$
> Building upon existing software: 		 $
>
> And possibly we might consider that the reason why 'creating new
> software' is so high is precisely because it refuses to acknowledge
> how innovation actually has worked throughout the ages, that its a
> process of building new ideas on old, refining what exists to make it
> better. That so much software is closed source and hence impossible
> to build on adds greatly to the cost and stifles innovation even
> further.

welll... really it does understand that. Which is why propriatary systems
try to own the entire heirarchy... The cost history of propriatary software
shown above is the SUM of the entire evolution cost.. and the company wants
to say "... mine, mine, you can't have it (unless you give me more money for
every time you do use it...)". Which would explain the high cost of creating
"new" propriatary software.

> So perhaps its actually commercial software (in the sense that
> commercial software is nearly always closed source) which is causing
> 'cost of innovation' problems in the software industry, not open
> source software.
>
> regards,