The fate of the Open source code movement in the cloud computing era

The open source software movement is a massive campaign involving program engineers and other computer users. It is a branch of the free Software movement, but the difference is not obvious. In general, the free software movement is based on political and philosophical ideas (sometimes referred to as the so-called hacker culture) idealistic movement, while the open source movement is mainly focused on the quality of the process itself. The key to open source's use of cloud computing to make a turnaround is to capture the expertise of cloud computing in distributed computing.


　　

Can the
open source movement be revitalized by cloud computing?


　　


This is a very technical topic, but for CEOs, it is of special significance. Beginnings: The day does not change the Tao also unchanged, on the contrary, the day change the road also change. If the day refers to the trend of productivity, specifically the technological trend, the road is business. From the point of view of business, the CEO needs to be concerned about the major technological trends involving "change of day".


　　


Specifically, open source problem for the CEO is the importance of two background, one is about the Internet will lead to the business trend of the controversy related to it, the U.S. forefront of the sudden popularity of internet closures, the closed source of the Apple has become the CEO learning role model, Apple is really worth learning? Second, the "two Lu Shinto" around cloud computing is unfolding between IBM, Google and Microsoft, ultimately leading the direction of the business trend followed by the CEO.


　　


in this sense, the problem of the code is not limited to the code. According to Lessig, the code is the future of the information society. With the code pointing open, CEOs are flocking to IBM and Google, where the code is closed, and CEOs queue up to Apple and Microsoft for fruit. Weakness, wealth is the opposite, isn't it serious enough?


　　

The dilemma of
Open source and the connecting


　　


Open the general direction of the Internet. This is easier said than done, and it is not so easy to judge the professional judgment in the line.


　　

The reason for the
is obvious: The Linux manager SCO, like the French football club, has defected to the enemy, and the open source movement, the equivalent of the Argentine football team's sun, has been a homonym for Lionel Messi since the takeover-"no".





Although Linux occupies the advantage of the server, the image of enthusiasts is still lofty, but the open source movement in general, the road of business success has not been fully explored.


　　


Cloud computing has brought an important turnaround to the open source movement. It's not open source with super heavyweight fans like IBM and Google. The key to this turnaround is that cloud computing is based on SaaS (software as a service) so that open source to see the "Software free, service charges" business model of the eventual maturity of the hope that, although Microsoft by "Cloud + end" This kind of conspiracy (end refers to terminal software charges) to put up a last-ditch, there are limited open apple (other open, Source code is not open) to retreat, still not enough to withstand the open source of the sky potential.


　　


for the lifeblood of the information society--code, the future of openness is bright, but the road is tortuous, Apple is now in the sun, the market value of a moment more than Microsoft, although the gods can not be with the battle, but also to the CEO to bring a uncertainty: Open is really so good, like the Apple half open half closed, not also OK?


　　


in order to unlock the CEO in the business of this knot, we need to specifically analyze the technical trends, especially to the business model can be left to the open source technology.


　　


SOA (Service Oriented architecture) where to


　　

The
service-oriented architecture is in the opposite direction to software-licensed architectures such as Cloud + end. People generally ask if you want to go to the SOA direction.


　　


since we recognize the mainstream of cloud computing in the direction of SaaS, it is no bother to discuss software licensing issues, but to deepen the problem to: what kind of service?


　　


This question is targeted, because even the authentic cloud computing (as opposed to the Microsoft Cottage version of cloud computing), the answer to this question, the direction may be the opposite. Who should the CEO listen to? I propose to go back to the source of this, back to the cloud, to think about this problem.


　　


There is a mixed assessment of the commercialization of open source. Enthusiasts start with non-commercial motives, accusing Linux of commercialization, undermining the purity of open source; As Liunx fellow merchants, they are often thought to be using Linux to hit rivals.


　　


with cloud computing, we can end this historical matter from a new perspective. This new perspective, free mode, is a perfect balance of free two meanings: freedom and free. Freedom can be understood as the diversification of choice; it is free to refer to the basic business without charge (where the software is free).


　　


free mode in Anderson, "free" a book is specific, according to my understanding, first of all, to put a business, the district into two types of industry, one is the basic business, one is value-added services, there is a cross subsidy relationship between them. Free is in particular the basic business free of charge, and cannot mean value-added business free. If they are not, Anderson calls such a free discount to distinguish it from free mode in particular.


　　


in this way, we have a new understanding of the software. It is not a stand-alone business, but half business. Software free is not the first try to buy (that is equivalent to discount promotions), but the means of locking users, is a basic business; the other half of the business with software is service, it must be value-added services.


　　


service oriented, especially for value-added services. This, by the big companies that are advocating cloud computing, unintentionally concealed. The synthesis of two kinds of business is called software service. Ministry of Software Services Division originally wanted to call the software and Services division, plus a and, now it seems not right. The narrow sense of software services can be a separate category in which software is free, service charges, bilateral market cross-subsidization.


　　


, software licensing, and software free, is not a symmetrical concept. Contrary to the symmetry of software licensing, software should be free, but at the same time assume the basic business functions.


　　


This may seem like just a word game, but the next thing is to get to the point: what services we call service oriented. In the past, it was understood that a homogeneous service was used to reduce the cost of large-scale industrialization; According to the concept of cloud computing may be different, can be mainly used to refer to differentiated services, is a value-added service.


　　


Check back again, now which cloud provider, in software this platform can be differentiated services? Where is your API, where is your openness, and can you create customer value in service differentiation and product diversification?


　　


not long ago, I received an invitation to a cloud computing professional meeting, only to see the first sentence, I do not want to go, it said (to the effect) cloud computing coincides with the industrial revolution during the large-scale production. Well, we're finally waiting for a future tool called cloud computing, used to achieve the large-scale homogenization of industrialization 200 years ago.


　　


this is completely without the director, dedicated short. Cloud computing is a highly decentralized computing model, distributed computing, not centralized computing, how atavistic became a large-scale centralized manufacturing. Shoes, old-fashioned, under specific conditions is not not, but that the main function of new shoes is old-fashioned not to take a new road, is misleading.


　　


so I propose a new view that future SOA is not generally service-oriented, not General Service oriented, but focused on differentiated services, personalized services, value-added services for CEOs (not just for cost-saving services). Along this direction, let software this basic platform, more design for the use of flowers for the interface, I am afraid is the future technology direction.


　　


Open Source to use cloud computing to achieve a turnaround, the key is to grasp the cloud computing in the distributed computing expertise. Seize the opportunity, as soon as possible after the software free service charges, from the provision of general services, to provide value-added differentiated services; To this end, it is imperative that the software and services, the design of a user-wide choice of the function of the Open interface, out of Linux can only spell costs, and the difficult to add The commercialization of open source can be understood as the basic function of Linux, the basic product free, rely on the full model of the price of diversified value-added services. Use cloud computing to upgrade open Source services.


　　

The doorway to
's CEO is to identify the authenticity of the business trend behind the technology trend. Understand that not all clouds can rain, to find rain clouds to pick up the water.