IP: Re: Dan Gillmor's eJournal -- Microsoft's Attack on Open Source: Linus Torvalds Replies

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>From: "Dave Winer" <dave@userland.com>
>To: <farber@cis.upenn.edu>, <ip-sub-1@majordomo.pobox.com>
>Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 09:29:56 -0700
>
>Dave, there's a lot more to say about this.
>
>Dan characterizes Mundie's speech as an attack, but take a look again, where
>is the attack?
>
>As the CEO of a small commercial software developer, it's good to have the
>largest commercial developer working to re-establish our practice as having
>a future. There's been so much bluster about the negative aspects of open
>source from the proponents of open source, it demands a rebuttal. Commercial
>development has created a lot of what we use today, things we take for
>granted. Sure open source made a contribution, but so did commercial
>development.
>
>Linus Torvalds speaks well for open source. But even in the example of
>Newton, perhaps the Bill Gates of his time, there was Leibniz, who was more
>like Linus. It's curious that Linus cites Newton as a shining example of
>open development. Apparently, neither Newton or or his chief rival, Leibniz
>were particularly open! ;->
>
>Let's study this stuff carefully. There's a lot of truth in Mundie's speech,
>imho. Before rejecting it as an attack, why not sift though it and see if
>there's some value there.
>
>Dave



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