Cnet versus InfoWorld on Open Source
September 1, 2009
Now this is no Google versus Microsoft or IBM versus Oracle dust up. We have two media outfits going in different directions with regard to open source awards. A number of publications have shifted from high value editorial content to a consulting firm model to generate buzz and (one hopes) revenue. This is the list of top companies game or the best product game. The idea is to create a list of winners and then name a champion of champions. I have become a little disenchanted with this approach. I did find the Matt Asay write up “InfoWorld’s Two Minds on Open Source’s Value” for Cnet. The focus of the write up was InfoWorld’s story “Best of Open Source Software Awards 2009.” Most of the articles that I scan each day adopt a circumspect method when disagreeing with other publications’ notions. The addled goose, as you may know, makes an effort to point out some of the issues that the “professional journalists” and “enthusiastic bloggers” create with their golden prose.
Mr. Asay takes off his gloves and dons some brass knuckles.
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Here’s the blow to the InfoWorld liver that I noted:
Personally, I think awards should be given based on the merits that will most appeal to IT buyers, and such will have little to nothing to do with business model nuances and everything to do with solving business problems at a compelling price. If Zenoss is the better enterprise IT bet, shouldn’t it get the Bossie, regardless of OpenNMS’ licensing model? InfoWorld set out to name the “top open source products.” By deciding, instead, to name the top open-source products and business models, it has failed to serve its audience as well as it has in the past. The Bossies are still a good resource, but it’s best to read the reasons behind some votes carefully, as they may have nothing to do with the products at all.
Ouch. Will InfoWorld have the strength to fight back? Will the once proud print publication now reduced to a Web site be able to muster some moxie for the online punch?
In my opinion, there is more of this open source nastiness to come. I don’t think it is just the business model. The root cause may be the boundary between the idea of “free” and for fee and the means by which vendors get quickly to the fee part of the equation. Is open source that different from the traditional enterprise software model? The addled goose monitors search where the confusion is beginning to swell. Should be exciting.
Stephen Arnold, September 1, 2009
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