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Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 12:42:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Dan Streetman <ddstreet@us.ibm.com>
To: Linux Kernel <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: ps2 keyboard filter hook
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>I find it very odd indeed with IBM's big voice of open source
>praise, yada yada, and what Lou has said in the past, that there
>would be any question at all of wether it would be open source or
>not.  Isn't big blue behind open source?  Or is it just for
>publicity?  Makes me wonder now...

Yes, IBM is definately behind OSS, but that doesn't mean everything is suddenly
opened...and for many people, it's still got to have a 'business' (or legal)
reason to be made open (apart from the technical benefits of OSS)...

IBM is one of the biggest companies around, and obviously everyone can't do a
mental 180 in a short period of time...;-)

Although I just got here a year ago, so I don't really know what it was like in
the 'old days' :)

>Must be some real good rocket science in that interface that
>theres no way on earth someone else could come up with it for it
>to be important IP to protect.  Makes me wonder what's hiding
>behind it...

I actually think that in this case (and possibly many others) it's not a case
of wanting to 'protect' amazing code or design, but more that people are used to
working a certain way (closed), and it's hard to change.  They still have a
'reflex' that tells them to keep it closed, and need a good business (or legal)
reason to open it...instead of asking 'why not?' they ask 'why?'.

In this specific case, the obvious benefits like peer review, increased user and
developer base, etc. were ignored; they thought the user and/or developer base
(any retail company or ISV) was too specific and/or small.

--
Dan Streetman
ddstreet@us.ibm.com
--------------------------------------------------
186,282 miles per second:
It isn't just a good idea, it's the law!