Open Source for Non-Geeks
Posted by Alec on 21 November 2006
My colleague Simon, who is self confessed suit-compliant human, was pleased to be able to install our Open source product without problems in an hour on our server.
I think this illustrates a trend that has been evident for some time — Open source software is now ready for the mainstream and can be used by anyone. To be sure there are bad examples of the art, however that applies across the whole software industry unfortunatly.
Can world domination be far away? 
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Jeff Dickiey said
Observation 1: Open source software is the most sensible innovation in IT since the invention of the abacus.
Observation 2: Most American businesses are largely immune to common sense in the absence of a corporate near-death experience.
Observation 3: Extremely well-funded, entrenched interests are very difficult to overcome.
Observation 4: As Lou Pinella said, “We’ve got them right where they want us.” Continue to build the stack up and out, and more companies newly acquainted with common sense (see #2) will see the light.
Observation 5: Excessive entrenched interests are highly vulnerable to faster-moving, more innovative, higher-value competition (think early MS vs. IBM, the BUNCH vs. IBM, Toyota vs GM…). This will have a cascade effect enabled in large part by:
Observation 6: See Observation 1.