Report: Mitch Kapor Pronounces Microsoft's Battle With Open Source "Over"

by Sam Dean - Oct. 22, 2009Comments (8)

Mitch Kapor--founder of Lotus and designer of the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet--is one of the true pioneers of the software industry. People forget how mighty Lotus once was, with a market capitalization that towered over Microsoft's, and over 80 percent market share in spreadsheets. In a discussion with the Guardian U.K., Kapor pronounces Microsoft's war against open source over. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's over, but it's not the war it once was by any means.

Of course, when looking back on Microsoft's stance toward open source, its unfriendly position toward Linux, and current CEO Steve Ballmer's pronouncement that open source is "a cancer" come to mind. As we noted in this post,  where he put down the Android platform and then suggested that Microsoft may consider an open source core for its browser, Ballmer is still prone to mercurial statements about open source. Can he really be ignoring Android when it is threatening to eat Windows Mobile's lunch? Can he be ignoring Firefox?

"The battle is over," Kapor tells the Guardian U.K. Notably, though, he doesn't point to examples like Firefox when discussing the success of open source, but prefers to single out more invisible open source components:

"I tell people that the history of Mozilla and Firefox is so one of a kind that it should not be used – ever – as an example of what's possible. The accomplishment of open source is that it is the back end of the web, the invisible part, the part that you don't see as a user. All of the servers, pretty much, they run Linux as the operating system; they run Apache as the basic web server on top of which everything else is built. The main languages out of which web applications are built – whether it's Perl or Python or PHP or any of the other languages – those are all open source languages."

He's right, of course. And beyond the web and its less visible open source infrastructure, open source components are slated to make their way into the vast majority of commercial software offerings. That process is already under way, and as it continues, Microsoft, too, will be in the open source business.

 


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8 Comments
 

They still have very very deep pockets and can still spread mountains of FUD here.


0 Votes

I do agree with Mitch to some extent. Yes you cannot (apologies for the positive/negative) use Firefox as the shining example, because there are so many other 'plumbing' applications. Microsoft is under serious attack in ALL its sectors so I cannot imagine them being happy about OSS, but I do not think there is much they can do. They will need to 'embrace and extend', and the community will have to watch out for shady moves.


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Well, how is that Chandler application going? Eight years and 1.0 is barely out. Not really open source is it? You can't download it (try the links), legally change it, or even impact anybody debugging it. Yes, the battle is over. Please come back when you have actual weapons.


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Just $0.02... Ballmer said that GPL licence is like cancer, not whole open source and he was right. You cannot build profitable business around GPL'd code. It's differrent with open source licenced with BSD like licences (including MS Open Licence).


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How has he pronounced it over (headline) if he said he won't pronounce it over (actual quote)? Sure the headline drew me in, but I stopped reading the article as soon as I saw that. How am I to know what else you've written that I can't believe?


ostatic.com has been flagged.


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If Microsoft was smart they would dump IE and contribute to the FireFox platform. This way they can put up a united front against webKit.


Right now the only things IE has going for it is it's integration with the Win 7 taskbar and it's implementation of SPNego which does not promt users to enter username and password when accessing a server on a local intranet.


If they can work with Firefox to do this properly they would have an unbeatable browser.


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Microsoft's comment about "Open Source" being a "Cancer" is much like "the pot calling the kettle black." I believe the truth to be that Microsoft is quite possibily one of the largest parasites in the world second only to politicians. Greed and control rule these people. Just look at the state of the world economy vs Electronics hardware (not software). This is an example of the "Free Market" not Capitalisim, Socialisim or Communisim. The latter three being parasitic systems - just do the math!

Many people like myself have moved to open source software because it is hard to hide all of the parasitic malware, spyware, Trojan software and such that comes pre-packaged in Windows by Microsoft. If Windows 7 was so good it would not need to have Vista installed first with all of it's litle nasties hidden inside of it. Just try to stop Windows from having complete access to your machine. Shut off the updates and remote access, I mean completely shut them off. Windows will react by disabling software that you have already paid for. It will shut down the entertainment features first, sound and video players, and then your mouse will cease to "click" on items. You will be "forced" to relent.

If you just try to shut Microsoft out of your machine from the "Security Center" it will eventually try to "update" in spite of the fact that you explicitly shut that function off.

The premise is that it is "for your own good"(sic). If the software is working fine don't mess with it! The new trick under DRM ("Digital Rights Management") is to have music, DVD video and software limit how many times you may use them with a software "Expiration date." This requires you to have to re-purchase the product you thought you owned but actually are renting. Cloud computing is a further step in that direction. You will not be allowed to "own" anything, it will all have to be rented. Unlike copywritten books which you can own and only buy a replacement if you decide a much better edition has been published.

Open source can not easily hide functions from the user like Windows does in the PC or the Apple. An interesting note: computer and cellphone companies seem to advertise their greatest problems as if they did not exist. (ie "we have the best service" - actually the worst! and so on.)

It seems that European Union has done more to protect it's people from Microsoft than the North American politicians. Just look at what they have done over there.

I guess "Open Source" companies do not have the money to "buy off" politicians and media. At least that is my opinon from decades of experence.

Thank you.


0 Votes

Ask Dan Bricklin about Mitch Kapor's view on open source software...


"Steal it and copyright it."


Too bad the GPL wasn't in common use when VisiCalc was created.


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