Open Sauce Software
Tasty titbits from people using Linux and other open source software in business.
Thursday 20 December 2007, 4:57 PM
An Open Source Census?
The Open Source Census, launched by enterprise open source company
PreviousComments on this post
Potentially a useful tool, but i think companies will be reluctant to reveal what software they're using and i see no incentive from OpenLogic to make them download this tool.
You're right of course.
Like so many of these tools, though, it's attractive to people inside the organisation. If you're an open source enthusiast, this will help you convince colleagues that it is trustworthy -- because you may well be able to prove you are already relying on it.
The census is an additional benefit on the side -- and the company is making the right promises about anonymising data, so I don't see huge problems with sharing. Or am I naive?
Some of the larger organizations might be afraid to reveal how many open source apps they use, if they are locked into a Microsoft deal. They could see an increase in usage fees. Frankly I don't see how this tool can actually reveal the exact amount of open source in use, as the source code can be personalized to a particular company, it can also be written to give out false data to an inquiry.
