Comments on: How will the economic crisis affect open source? http://blogs.crikey.com.au/trevorcook/2008/10/23/how-will-the-economic-crisis-affect-open-source/ Trevor Cook on public relations, social media and politics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:16:29 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Trevor Cook http://blogs.crikey.com.au/trevorcook/2008/10/23/how-will-the-economic-crisis-affect-open-source/comment-page-1/#comment-2606 Trevor Cook Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:33:28 +0000 http://blogs.crikey.com.au/trevorcook/?p=4696#comment-2606 I think he misunderstands motivation. If people are finding it hard to get paid work won't that just make them even more likely to avail themselves to come to attention in a more competitive marketplace? I think he misunderstands motivation. If people are finding it hard to get paid work won’t that just make them even more likely to avail themselves to come to attention in a more competitive marketplace?

]]> By: mikecowley http://blogs.crikey.com.au/trevorcook/2008/10/23/how-will-the-economic-crisis-affect-open-source/comment-page-1/#comment-2603 mikecowley Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:49:30 +0000 http://blogs.crikey.com.au/trevorcook/?p=4696#comment-2603 I think you have missed a point here - Keen is talking about consumer applications (although some businesses make use of them to a certain extent), Whitehurst would be talking about business infrastructure and applications. Keen may have a point - although in many of the cases he cites the primary motivation of most users would be related to status or ego rather than the hope of remuneration, so if there is any effect it would only be in limited cases. I think Whitehurst is definitely correct, but that doesn't in any way invalidate what Keen says because they are talking about two very different groups of users. I can see open source operating systems and business applications doing very well out of any extended recession. I think you have missed a point here – Keen is talking about consumer applications (although some businesses make use of them to a certain extent), Whitehurst would be talking about business infrastructure and applications.

Keen may have a point – although in many of the cases he cites the primary motivation of most users would be related to status or ego rather than the hope of remuneration, so if there is any effect it would only be in limited cases.

I think Whitehurst is definitely correct, but that doesn’t in any way invalidate what Keen says because they are talking about two very different groups of users. I can see open source operating systems and business applications doing very well out of any extended recession.

]]>