[ale] open source wars at DOD

[Pete Hardie]

Joseph A Knapka wrote:
> All this recent hoopla about security in open source, integrity
> of public data, etc. has got me asking myself the question: Is
> there *ever* any advantage to closed-source software, for anyone
> besided the vendor? I can't see one, myself. It is self-evidently
> in the buyer's best interest to insist on open-source solutions;
> only the gigantic dead weight of M$'s marketing machine obscures
> this fact in practice. Eventually open-source will prevail in
> a free marketplace.

I'd say that closed-source from a typical vendor is faster to respond
to specific customer requests than an open-source project, since the
money paid for the program can fund a dedicated customer support group
that is acutely aware that failing to respond to customers will result
in the loss of their jobs; typical open-source projects are not as
responsive because there is no immediate negative feedback for slow
fixes.



-- 
Pete Hardie                   |   Goalie, DVSG Dart Team
    posting from, but not     |
	speaking for:             |
Scientific Atlanta, Digital Video Services Group


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