Open Source: Now It's an Ecosystem ~~ This software movement is branching ....

BusinessWeek ^ | OCTOBER 3, 2005 | BW SPECIAL REPORT: OPEN SOURCE

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OCTOBER 3, 2005

SPECIAL REPORT: OPEN SOURCE

Open Source: Now It's an Ecosystem

This software movement is branching into not just mainstream business applications but also the associated services. And VCs are eager to help

Eighteen months ago John Roberts, Clint Oram, and Jacob Taylor decided to quit their jobs at Epiphany, a maker of customer-relationship software. The trio wanted to target the same market, but write a new application developed using open-source code. It took them only three months to create the program and just another month to close their first round of funding. Little more than a year later, their company, SugarCRM, has given away more than 325,000 copies of its software, and raised a second round of capital, for a total of $7.75 million.

Giving away software isn't your typical path for a venture-capital-backed startup. But Roberts & Co., are smack in the middle of the next frontier of the open-source movement: business applications. "No one had funded an open-source application company at that point -- it was all infrastructure," says CEO Roberts. "We broke a glass ceiling."

Consider it shattered. The open-source movement is making another big thrust forward. Entrepreneurs, investors, and many analysts say they're confident that all of a company's business software -- representing hundreds of millions in sales -- will soon be available as open source. "I don't think there are any limits," says Ray Lane, a Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner and software industry veteran.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

^^^^^^^^^^^Lots of liberals in IT, in many cases it is more art than engineering.^^^^^^^^^^^

Figured I'd let you know that your support for microsoft.....

you're supporting the democratic party.

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.asp?ID=D000000115&Name=Microsoft+Corp

They historically supported pubs, but things are changing in redmond. Look for yourself.

http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/01/cov_29feature.html

From what I understand...... Steve Jobs is too.

[ko_kyi]

Lots of liberals in IT, in many cases it is more art than engineering.

Not sure why you posted that to me. Care to elaborate?

[ko_kyi]

I get paid to produce outcomes of value to my employer. Sometimes that means an MS product, another closed-source product, or OSS/linux. I think that basing purchases on political ideology is misrepresenting oneself to the business that pays you. Some choices are better or worse, but that is an I.T. analysis rather than a political one.

[Knitebane]

When I have an issue with an open-source product and I can get someone flown here in 24 hours at someone else's expense to support it, I'll be all over it.

You were saying?

[Knitebane]

Communist nations were the very first to mandate open source within their governments. You're not suggesting every open source programmer in those governments is doing so under their own free will are you?

The sweat shops in communist nations probably made the shoes you're wearing too.

That doesn't mean that the shoe industry in general is communist.

Yet you seem to keep bleating that all open source is communist just because a few communist countries have mandated it's use.

Just remember kids, when you buy Microsoft, you're buying into Communist China.