Open Source Software

Definitely back in focus after Microsofts comments on its' viral nature.

Here is an interesting quote from:

The Emergence of E-Innovation: Insights from Open Source Software Development by Bruce Kogut and Anca Meitu

"Our claim is that there is ultimately a more radical revolution in the open source
movement than the murky and contentious issues surrounding property rights and proprietary
ownership of code. The success of open-source software, such as Linux and Apache, has
made credible the possibility to innovate in a distributed environment as opposed to
traditional approaches to software development. In this way, open-source software presents a
major demonstration of what the internet means for the future of work and innovation on a
global basis." (page 2)

I think there really are 2 aspects to this debate - the legalistic focus on ownership of intellectual property and then a 'business' decision on how best to move a piece of software forward.