Reader feedback: The debate about open-source software
A recent article on a DOD open-source project elicited several interesting comments from readers.
Late last month, FCW published an article about a new Web site, Forge.mil, where developers can work on open-source software projects specifically for the Defense Department (read it here).
Here is what some readers had to say:
* Will it be easier to sue DoD for patent infringements? Open source licensing assumes that all responsibility for patent infringements is on developers. Once developers realize that, they will stop contributions to sourceforge.net, forge.mil and other similar sites.
* Not to start a war or anything but as a linux user, I don't think the path to migration for DOD is all that clear. Software compatibility in as diverse a network is a big issue. Open office is good for the general office worker but does it really have all the bells and whistles that DOD power users have been relying on? Still, one thing the DoD needs to do in advance of moving to Linux is to build the infrastructure that will allow it to build, maintain, and deliver its own distro, and this is a decent step in that direction.
* Does anyone find this funny that the Federal Government is Microsoft's biggest customer and they still refuse to move their own federal employee's to a free OS, like Linux?