Since no one seems to have mentioned it already, please read the book "producing open source software". Its freely available at http://producingoss.com It has a large focus on some of the mechanics and processes of running an OS project, but there is a good section in the beginning that discusses WHY someone might want to open source their code.
I'm quite interested in this topic, and when I have a bit more time I will read through the whole thread and add a more detailed answer. -Ryan Cross On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 4:19 PM, mmp1 <missingmatt...@gmail.com> wrote: > > The other night I was looking at some code we have, and I am > considering open sourcing it. > > What i am interested in is some input into why a company would look at > open sourcing some code (apart from just making the world a better > place). > > When does it make sense ? > > What license models work and why ? any good books / articles on the > economics of open source ? > > (I personally don't like the GPL / AGPL licences - they limit people > actually leveraging any work they put in - it seems free, but its > not. Its a look but pay to use model. I personally like say an LGPL > model (changes to core system have to be given back, but you can use > it as you wish). > > I would also like feedback from others on the following : > > The code I am considering unplugging is a database + api and > eventually a gui (its a bit rough at the moment, we are about to start > putting a nice GWT front end on it ) that is used to manage sets of > configuration properties and apply ACL's (very flexible - can be used > for role based or say an NT based security model) over the data and > properties. Currently we expose this as a server. The server can be > deployed in nodes (ie. you can run a local node per web server that > is used for reading), and updates are done on the master. This works > fine as the rate of data change is tiny, and the most I have ever seen > these sort of databases grow to for even large organizations is say > about 10MB so DB sync is easy. > > Its the sort of thing you see/ use all the time - ie. when you use the > admin interface say in joomla - most of it is a property / security > management system. If you have ever used any enterprise systems (ie. > say configuration of a cisco call manager instance - you again update > properties based on permissions). Its when you want have a manager to > login and only see some of the config options, and only allow updates > to others (say the roster times for their users) but an admin can > login and see way more. It can be great for data validation in web > apps - can only read properties your user has permission for and the > web app doesn't have to worry about it. How many organizations ask > "can we have the change history" of properties ? its that sort of > thing. > > In fact i know I have had to deal with this issue on existing > commercial applications I have been part of as well as in house > systems i have seen. > > In some ways the solution seems very LDAP like. In fact I am sure you > could use LDAP, except making LDAP easy enough to configure so someone > like your mum could use doesn't seem to exist (if anyone knows of a > web based interface to LDAP that is so easy my mum could probably use > it, let me know). > > In fact, my feeling is that just about any sort of enterprise system > seems to use such a system. My thinking is that with software as a > service becoming popular, it might help if we have a base set of > servers/api's to manage this stuff without rolling your own every > time. > > Now, I know things like spring-security-acl is a basic database and > api set, but i don't know of any nice gui's available to use as basis > for a backend admin system (Doesn't anyone know of any ?). > > I also see Seam is looking at integrating some sort of similar > functionality off the shelf. > > Now my thoughts last night were - why do we have to maintain something > which doesn't really differentiate our product that much (most > products that need such a system, usually have something). (okay, we > have a few "tricks" in it - the acl algorthim is pretty cool - very > very fast, both to apply and to read/write and its very comprehensive > at the moment - handles nested group memberships etc.). Its important > to our product service offering, but I don't think its core. What is > the term - undifferentiated heavy lifting ? > > Would such a system be worth open sourcing ? Are there already > similar system out there (this is hard to google on - putting the key > word configuration or management etc gets too many wrong hits to find > anything). > > Ideas /feedback ? > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach Australia mailing list. No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself: http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia/browse_thread/thread/99938a0fbc691eeb To post to this group, send email to silicon-beach-australia@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to silicon-beach-australia+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia?hl=en?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
