Commercial Open Source (COS)

We all very well know the impact of open source software and how it became mainstream in the industry. The success of open source is very clear from the fact that only few closed source products are able to survive and move forward...Windows OS, Weblogic App Server, Oracle DB.

But there are lot's of challenge for the open source software to sustain in the long run if it doesn't have the resources or developer community. [i agree that there is no free lunch and developers can't be working for ever for free in the late evenings & week ends...it's from my own personal open source experience.]

I think, the next wave of open source products will follow the "COS"(Commercial Open Source) model. If open source is successful but if it needs resources, where does it will come from? It will come from the commercial software vendors. The latest success in the COS space are Zimbra & MuleSource.

Let's first take a look at Zimbra: It competes with Microsoft exchange server and still it succeeds, how? Simply it follows a COS model using open stds.

Then MuleSource: There are many opensource ESB's and half a dozen ESB products from big vendors. But still MuleSource has an impressive list of customers. How? Quality product + COS model.

The latest addition to the party is Interface21(guys behind Spring Framework)

Long live COS!

iPhone & Mobile Web.

There was enough reviews written about Apple's iPhone but still it won't be like checking it out in person. So I decided to go to one of the Apple Stores in bayarea(Valley Fair mall) on Saturday & check it out. I spend quality amount of time to check out all the features, including things like network settings.

My opinion is that Apple yet again proved that they are superior in the GUI design and consumer devices. This iPhone is a game changing mobile device and it makes easier to browse the web, SMS & emails.(i didn't bother much about voice or music, assumed it will be good) IMO, in the long run this device will have a huge impact on the mobile web. If you look at the way, we used the web, it was PC made it simpler to browse the web. Then came laptops. Now people are increasingly wants to connect to the web all the time. But the current device that we carry are NOT good for mobile web. So, here goes Apple iPhone which makes it easier. I classify something like this for browsing web:

Web 1.0 Browsing Device : PC
Web 2.0 Browsing Device : Laptopbs & other limited mobile devices
Web 3.0 Browsing Device : Apple iPhone + ?

Overall, it was a very positive experience for me. I would buy one. It's a good device.

Back from vacation.

I took a 3 week vacation to go to India and just got back home. This time I noticed lot's of changes back in India. Lot's of new developments including constructions, roads and airport expansions in small cities. There is an economic boom going on currently and it's not just IT. I could see that textile and mechanical industries are also doing very well.

Overall country is "developing" itself very well and if current India is different from 90's then India in 2020 will be much different from today.