OStatic

Open Source Companies Give Cold Shoulder to Giant Retail Convention

I have to nod in agreement as The VAR Guy laments the complete absence of any open source companies--large or small--as the 2009 National Retail Federation Convention gets underway in New York.  He makes the point that this is a massive mistake for open source companies and their channel partners, which is true. Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service  is an example of the kind of service that should be put right in front of retailers' faces, and SUSE Linux already runs in Wal-Mart, Office Depot and many other chains. Red Hat ISVs create applications for retailers left and right. But did either of these companies show up at the convention? No, and this points to an open source problem: tunnel vision.

OSCON and other open source conferences are continuing in full force even as many other conferences lose their luster (just look at Apple pulling out of Macworld). I've made the point before that this is largely because the open source community depends on face-to-face connections. However, when it comes to commercial open source companies, shouldn't there be people focusing on vertical industries and the biggest conferences that pertain to them?

The cloistered model of open source community participants gripping and grinning and discussing the kernel only at open source conferences is archaic, at least in when it comes to commercial open source companies. Retail isn't the only industry where commercial open source companies do a lazy job of getting across the kinds of cost-saving benefits that open source can bring to businesses.

Consider this item from Matt Asay, where he ponders why cool, cost-saving financial applications such as Marketcetera's aren't in place at hedge funds, even as hedge fund managers cry in their beers over the costs of their proprietary trading platforms. Open source applications should be right in front of the managers of these funds, and other leaders in the financial industry.

This is all especially true in this down economy, when the substantial cost savings offered by open source can really make a difference for businesses of all stripes. Commercial open source companies at least need to show up at high-profile vertical industry events. It reminds me of what my college roommate used to be fond of saying: "Babe Ruth didn't hit all those home runs by not swinging." 

• Red Hat
• novell
• SUSE Linux

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