the value add of open source for innovation
TRANSCRIPT
The value add ofOPEN SOURCEfor innovationBalázs Scheidlerco-founder and CTO, BalaBit
Introduction
Started programmingat age 12 on
Commodore 64
First exposure to Linux at 16-17:
Slackware 1.0, Linux kernel 0.99pl14
Contributor to open source projects at 19: Free Pascal Compiler
and others
Starting my own open source project at 21:
syslog-ng
Starting my own company with an
Open Source business model at 23:
BalaBit
Balázs Scheidler, founder & CTO of BalaBit
What is Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS)?The four freedoms
The freedom to redistribute copies so
you can help your neighbor.
The freedom to distribute copies of your
modified versions to others.
The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish.
The freedom to run the program as you
wish, for any purpose
Claim: Everyone is directly or indirectly using Open Source software Every Day.
Everyone is using Open Source
• 7 out of 9 Gold sponsors on the exhibition floor are definitely using open source
• Revealed using simple google queries (company + open source)
• The other two provides services rather than products, so more difficult to tell
Social:
Mobile:
Cloud:
IoT:
Big Data:
Everyone is using Open Source
Why do companies spend money on engineersand give away the results for free?
Because it yields the best product
Because it yields the best product&
Higher adoption in the early phase
If and only if a proper communityis formed around it
The code becomes an independent entity of its original creator
Best Product, why?
MORE USERS,MORE FEEDBACK →BETTER PRODUCT More adaptable, more environments Scratching an itch
HIGHER ADOPTION Nothing stops anyone from trying it (it's free to use and study) Network effect (more users lead to even more users) Making the pie larger in the long term
Best Product II.
ITERATIVE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING W/ COLLABORATION “Standing on the shoulders of giants” Instead of huge increments:o smaller steps,
o one at a time, o potentially by a different contributor, o continuously refining the whole
COMPETITION Successful projects are backed by multiple vendors, competing in the marketplace Competing companies work on the same code base
Engineer Motivation
Hobby & jobEngineers take a job to pay their bills… … but usually still have retain hobbiesOpen Source can be one of those hobbies
Making one's hobby his jobhas enormous benefits through motivation
IN EXCHANGE FOR CODE AND CONTROL,COMPANIES GET THE BEST PRODUCT
AND THE BEST POSITION TO PRODUCTIZE IT
THEY ALSO GRANT THE RIGHT TOANY OTHER COMPANY TO DO THE SAME.
… with enough investment
It is not just Software
Wikipedia Creative Commons
(creative works such as photos,
music)
Open Hardware (Arduino)
Maker community (3D printing, DIY)
Summary
Everyone is using Open Source
Open source development yields the best product & increases adoption
Community is the driving force
Thank You!
Questions?