Open Source: Commonplace or Confusing?

The latest offering from Research and Markets indicates that open source has quickly become commonplace in the business of software, such that most vendors consider it “just another piece of business.” From the Saugatuck Technologies abstract:

Within the past 12 to 18 months, many software vendors have moved from fear to aggression, pursuing open source development firm acquisitions, incorporating open source code into offerings throughout their portfolios, and looking for (or planning) open source offerings.

At the same time, researchers note, there is also evidence that some vendors may not understand all the implications of open source licensing and development. They report that they are on top of “the open source thing,” but they are hard pressed to show how they’ve worked open source into business strategies or detail the resources that management has committed to open source initiatives.

Nonetheless, writers say the results are far from their findings just a year ago, which indicated that many “were struggling” with what the increasing demand for open source meant for their businesses.

Source : http://www.itbusinessedge.com/