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Neil Winchurst wrote: >On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 09:04:51 +0000 >Tom Potts <tompotts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > >>http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/inbusiness/inbusiness.shtml >> >>Get it while its there >>Tom te tom te tom >> >> >>-- >>The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG >>http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list >>FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html >> >> > >I listened to it all, thanks for bringing it to my attention. My main >impression was that the interviewer had only one thought all the time, >namely 'How do you make a profit with free software'? His one problem >all the time was about making money. Sad. > >His thinking is still very 20th century, and as some of the >interviewees said, that has changed. > >It was also interesting the hear that this country, again, is being held >back by the attitude of management. Plus ça change.... > >Neil Winchurst > > > To be fair ..... The interviewer was a business journalist not a technical journalist, and the program is about business not the technical aspects of open source / free software. "Whats the bottom line" is a perfectly valid question in the context of the programme. What he was trying to expose was (some of) the many ways in which the concept of giving away software can be profitable, since the idea of "giving it away" and "making profit" are fairly alien to business people unless you use the term "loss leader", I found it funny that this well known term wasnt mentioned once in the whole program. I think it is great to see programmes like this from the BBC. Not necessarily because the content was great, but because its orientation IS NOT purely technical. It shows a willingness to look at the subject of free software outside a sometimes very narrow technical focus. Rightly or wrongly investors are more interested in "business models" and profitability not in technical superiority or adhearence to common standards for interoperablility. Thats why Microsoft wins. The tide is beginning to turn but we need more business community members to be talking about "business models" for free software. Its sad (but not suprising) to see that here in the UK at the managerial level we still lag behind in the uptake. I am old enough to remember the Panarama program in the early 80's about silicon chips that turned the heads of a few key ministers in the UK parliament at that time. I don't think this programme has the same profile but its a start. Tom. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html