Open Source vs. Commercial Software

[Jason Spatafore]

On Monday 24 October 2005 11:20, FoulDragon at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 10/24/2005 10:16:47 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
>
> jason at spatafore.net writes:
> >Bottom line: The guy wants to keep his job at *maintaining current
> > product* instead of innovating newer and better product. He's a
> > moron....and the sad thing is, I was that moron 3 years ago.
>
> I wouldn't call that mindset a moronic one.
> If it's easier to maintain an existing product, and pays the same, I'll
> maintain the existing product and fight change to the death.

Then you are not an innovator, you are a maintainer. I bet you'd rather learn 
the quirks of the existing software, and keep those "solutions" to yourself 
(Proprietary software maintainer), rather than figure out a way to get rid of 
those quirks by collaborating with others (Open Source Software Developer). 

You're right, maybe it's not a "moronic" view. Maybe it's "normal" to be a 
person who only wants to *preserve one's income* instead of making a better 
product. Yea, at least that's what I thought it was all about 3 years ago. 
You know what? Even if you maintain that software, the company will fire you 
for that 18 year old with an MCSE who will accept 1/2 your pay in 10 years. 
(Look at the value of an MCSE today compared to 4 years ago.) These are facts 
of the money driven computer world...if they're driven *mostly* by finance 
and not to create a better product, you will be the one who pays in the end. 
I've been through two companies like that...I was last fired in 2003 for that 
exact mindset.

> If you're doing it for a living, you want it as easy as possible to reduce
> the possibility of failure and resultant demotion/firing/bad performance
> review. As a pastime, fine, invent new exciting stuff.

If you make too much money, you will be replaced. Once you hit the 45K/year 
mark, you're a target. Why pay you 45K/year when the company can hire two 
kids at 23K/year to do the same thing but double the coverage (and double the 
certifications, for only a thousand more!!!)? With Arizona being 'Right To 
Work', your performance doesn't mean anything when it effects the bottom 
line.

Who wants to invent "new and exciting" stuff? No, Open Source isn't about 
providing "all the features in the world" (that's MS's department with 
Windows Media Edition, etc), it's about perfecting the current stuff and 
making it stable. 

Until people realize that Open Source isn't about "new and exciting" but more 
along the lines of "more stable and easier to use", the Open Source movement 
can't attach itself greatly to the IT market....because most of the IT market 
has been FUD'ed.

As you can see, I used some of that FUD myself....because, surely, you did 
consider that your boss can/will replace you at any moment, for any reason, 
or no reason at all....and it wouldn't matter one bit how well your reviews 
are. I won't even go into the politics of how well we all have to kiss our 
bosse's behinds these days and how it's not about what you know, but about 
what they think you know. :)

-- 
Sincerely,

Jason Spatafore
http://www.spatafore.net
Linux+ Certified Professional