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Re: Sunday, April 7, 2002
Re: "David Berlind calls open source IBM's deadly weapon" and your rhetorical questions:
"Does this mean IBM is doing something with more scope than Sun suggests with J2EE and SunONE? It seems that way, but when I read IBM ads about "infrastructure," I still get the sense there's a fence around what they're doing. But hey: I'd like to be wrong." IBM has embraced OpenSource as a way to first of all drive Microsoft and Sun nuts. Secondly, as Dave Berlind points out, Linux etc., provides significant advantages for IBM's server business. Finally, while some IBM Software groups are not on board with open source, or even XML and other open protocols, the overall tone of company is to use Open Source where it makes sense, work with Open Source platforms as much as practical and where there is a business opportunity and to be a leader in Open Source where possible. This last is the real strategy, and what you're perceiving as a fence. IBM's direct customers are very large businesses, and the IBM business proposition, is as it has always been, that as the biggest computer company they understand the needs of other big businesses better than anyone. By embracing Linux, JAVA and other Open Source initiatives, IBM can position itself as the primary provider and supporter of Open Source projects at their customer base. This makes very big companies happy, and confident in their business decisions vis a vis Linux and Open Source. IBM's VARS and other business partners win too. They can provide IBM branded solutions at a much lower cost of entry than previous purely proprietary solutions required, while providing even small customers the same comfort that IBM gives the 'Bigs'. The lock in then, is not so much to IBM's proprietary products, but into the IBM Brand. When that's happened, then the proprietary products can come in and serve their particular purposes: Tivoli for management, Lotus for groupware and e-learning, DB2 for databases, and of course the hardware and services that IBM and it's sales partners provide. Classic. Barry Cohen
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