[ale] open source wars at DOD

[Michael D. Hirsch]

Pete Hardie writes:
 > Joseph A Knapka wrote:
 > > All this recent hoopla about security in open source, integrity
 > > of public data, etc. has got me asking myself the question: Is
 > > there *ever* any advantage to closed-source software, for anyone
 > > besided the vendor? I can't see one, myself. It is self-evidently
 > > in the buyer's best interest to insist on open-source solutions;
 > > only the gigantic dead weight of M$'s marketing machine obscures
 > > this fact in practice. Eventually open-source will prevail in
 > > a free marketplace.
 > 
 > I'd say that closed-source from a typical vendor is faster to respond
 > to specific customer requests than an open-source project, since the
 > money paid for the program can fund a dedicated customer support group
 > that is acutely aware that failing to respond to customers will result
 > in the loss of their jobs; typical open-source projects are not as
 > responsive because there is no immediate negative feedback for slow
 > fixes.

That is a justification for paying money for software, not for closing
the source.  The two are not the same.  If you pay money for software,
you have a right to expect good service, regardless of whether the
source is open.

--Michael

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