An example of the FOSS awareness gap
From: "Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. via chugalug" ------------------------------------------------------ I had good discussion this morning with a relatively young, apparently = capable and caring executive of a Chattanooga based digital marketing = firm. I asked her how/whether marketing integrates with other parts of a = business. She clearly understood the marketing should inform and be = informed by them. Good marketing enables a business to understand = customer value and every part of the business should contribute to that = understanding. Than I asked her, =E2=80=9Cdoes your company use any open source = software?=E2=80=9D At first, she thought I was talking about AI. I = explained to her that while there was open source AI that most AI is = proprietary and there is a vast universe of open source software that = has nothing to do with AI, that, as you are all well aware the Internet = runs on open source software. She was totally unaware of this. Her = company uses Squarespace and Adobe Suite. I noted that there are very = good open source alternatives. She did not know that. I also pointed out = that those companies can shut down her customers and take their data = with impunity. That if/when they have an outage=E2=80=A6 oh, well, too = bad=E2=80=A6 they are not reliable. I explained the business case and strategic implications=E2=80=94own = your software by investing in people rather than the software itself. = That concept resonated with her. She said that =E2=80=9Cowning what you = do=E2=80=9D is more meaningful to her customers than =E2=80=9Cdoing it = cheaper=E2=80=9D or even =E2=80=9Cbeing more efficient and effective.=E2=80= =9D In fact, I plan to use =E2=80=9Cown what you do=E2=80=9D as the = positioning statement for Chattanooga.Digital. She expressed strong = commitment to buying local, empowering her customers with technology, = and growing the local talent pool.=20 But she knew nothing about open source software until I explained it to = her. Yes, it=E2=80=99s a sample of one but I am quite sure she=E2=80=99s = the rule not the exception. Local small business leaders do not spend on = open source projects because they do not know FOSS exists, let along how = to access and use it. The bottom line is that she and her customers are = renting from big tech rather than hiring local geeks to build for them. = She understood the value of changing that situation and that requires = collaborative learning. I pitched the idea of having a few local digital = marketing companies learn about and standardize on open source solutions = for their customers, which is a crazy idea in the traditional approach = but really smart under the open approach. It creates opportunities for = everyone, grows talent for everyone, and saves everyone a lot of money. She encouraged me to do what I=E2=80=99m planning to do=E2=80=A6 offer = some classes/workshops to get people=E2=80=99s input, to understand = where they are, as well as inform them about what=E2=80=99s available.=20= Anyway=E2=80=A6 I thought y=E2=80=99all might find this interesting and = helpful for understanding why I say we need to educate local business = leaders about open source: It will create a lot business benefits and = economic opportunities. =E2=80=94 Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521=============================================================== From: Erica Wolf via chugalug ------------------------------------------------------ I thought you were going down the route of "open source does not mean fee of cost". I don't think anyone avoids FOSS nowadays. Linux is everywhere in the Internet. From your router to the servers. Also, most commercial software depends on one or two FOSS libraries. -=3D--=3D---=3D----=3D----=3D---=3D--=3D-=3D--=3D---=3D----=3D---=3D--=3D-= =3D- Erica Wolf (she/her) m. r ?=E2=80=9D At =A6 oh, software more meaningful =9Cbeing more efficient and =9D as the positioning the rule not the d g . n en e, me are, as elpful for
=============================================================== From: Stephen Kraus via chugalug ------------------------------------------------------ *insert XKCD comic where half the internet is held up by a thin, under-supported FOSS column* in -=3D- chugalug@chugalug.org> wrote: rm. er e?=E2=80=9D At s s w s =80=A6 oh, r =80=9D is more ven =E2=80=9Cbeing more at you do=E2=80=9D as the d the rule not the nd ig e g. rn h pen ne, ome y are, as helpful for
=============================================================== From: "Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. via chugalug" ------------------------------------------------------ wrote: f[r]ee of cost". I don't think anyone avoids FOSS nowadays. Linux is = everywhere in the Internet. While the code can be downloaded at no cost, FOSS requires substantial = investment in talented people=E2=80=99s time. That is a fundamental = strategic distinction from proprietary software. People definitely avoid = FOSS. I had someone tell me yesterday it was not reliable or secure. = Yes, FOSS is everywhere but it is mostly *infrastructure*=E2=80=94the = stuff you don=E2=80=99t notice until it breaks. Many business decision-makers, especially in small and medium = enterprises and public sector agencies, are totally unaware of FOSS, let = alone its strategic implications. But, until there=E2=80=99s awareness = and understanding, leaders cannot shift their strategy. While it is easy to ignore this situation and write it off as provincial = and =E2=80=9Ctheir loss,=E2=80=9D lack of knowledge about FOSS stifles = improvement, innovation, and opportunities for technology professionals = in their communities, and it undermines support for open source = projects, including those that enable the internet. A consumer cooperative is ideal is because it creates natural incentives = for members to educate and engage others. It also provides a mechanism = to contribute to and financially support FOSS used by members. Frankly, = I think the ONLY economically viable model for FOSS is to have a = multitude of such cooperatives. Crazy, I know. =E2=80=94 Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521