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12/09/2004: "Free Software & Open Source... explained"

• Axiom: Innovation will occur
• Joy’s law of organizations: N(# smart employees) = log(# employees) (*)
• Conclusion: Innovation will occur, but it will occur elsewhere.
Especially in small companies!!!

Given this it, should be obvious that YOUR company will not be able to innovate, invent, adopt or incorporate all good techniquies or technologies. Therefore, its best to let other people, and other firms, perhaps even your competition try things first. Traditionally, technology companies then went out and purchased (or licensed) the technologies that succeeded, and incorporated these in their offering(s), leveraging the work and capital of others.

FOSS is a different answer to the question, "How can we leverage other people's work?"

In this world, knowing the answer without knowing the question is Jeopardy.

In a World of Ends, where everyone who wants to be is connected, the know-how for business success has to include the fundamental assumption that what we used to call "core competencies" are as outdated as Victorian morals and the then-fashionable clothes that you wore in school.

Instead, assume that what you need – what could be core to your business next year - you either can’t develop internally, or can’t develop internally fast enough, or that you are otherwise operating on flawed assumptions, or that these assumptions have a short shelf life, or that somewhere someone in the world is already 2 steps ahead of you.

See how that changes your plans.

(*) Note that the base of the logarithm isn't stated, so management and culture can be factors.