sure wish I could read the article without registering and purchasing it :-|
http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=633035&ref=g_sitelink
But that fact leads me to the thought that perhaps Gartner isn't as
revolutionary as one might think.
Cultural matches need to happen no matter the software. But the
difference with FLOSS is that it's libraries who are (or could be) doing
the cultural matching. Much the same as ILL works (after many years of
dev and lots of continuing staff time and energy), FLOSS development
could work. That idea will take time to ingrain in upper management for
sure, but I *do* see movement in that direction. Witness Joe Lucia's
post on NGC4lib in November, 2007:
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.culture.libraries.ngc4lib/3424
James
K.G. Schneider wrote:
> Sorry, Alexander, I disagree. Gartner may sound creaky but under the starchy
> language, this is pretty revolutionary advice.
>
> Look for a sustainable community - yes, for any product, that's key.
>
> Cultural match - that one is an interesting observation. Introducing open
> source development in organizations that have revolved around vendor-based
> relationships requires change management. I happen to think that the biggest
> culture shift needs to occur at the top, where it can be difficult to shift
> from the smoke-filled-room model, based on scarcity and secrecy and lots of
> money, to a more communitarian model, but it's also true that staff who have
> always worked with traditional vendors may have to adapt engrained
> practices.
>
> The SOA-I'll yield on that one. I think there's a Gartner template that
> requires the use of SOA every 500 words.
>
> The question of OSS not built on open standards has *cough* come up just in
> the past year. Of course, it could be pointed out that avoiding open
> standards, period, is a bad thing, and that commercial software is rife with
> such examples, far more than OSS... but still, it's not bad advice. (Cough
> into your arm to avoid sharing the flu; you'll also avoid sharing other
> airborne diseases, but the first statement still valid.)
>
> The last one means figure out whether you'll hire support or build it from
> within or (and perhaps this is the ideal advice) develop a blend of each.
>
> Karen G. Schneider
> [log in to unmask]
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Alexander Johannesen [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 1:37 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Cc: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Gartner on OSS
>>
>> Let's try the litmus test for enterprisey business bullshit : porridge ;
>>
>> "Recommendations for Users
>> * Look for a sustainable community that has a critical mass of skills
>> supporting porridge.
>> * Look for a cultural match between the porridge community and
>> your internal developers and user culture as it enhances communication
>> and perceived user satisfaction.
>> * Prepare an SOA that can integrate IT services from many sources,
>> including porridge.
>> * Avoid porridge that is not built on open standards.
>> * Make a conscious risk-based decision about whether you will depend on
>> internal resources or external services for your porridge
>> implementations."
>>
>> In short, another template piece where [insert your favourite thing
>> here] is wrapped around generic advice. Do they say anything that's
>> specific to what open-source is all about?
>>
>>
>> Alex (without reading the darn article...)
>> --
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> -
>> Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
>> ------------------------------------------ http://shelter.nu/blog/ -------
>> -
--
James R. Jacobs
International Documents Librarian
Green Library
Stanford University
(650) 725-1030
[log in to unmask]
http://jonssonlibrary.stanford.edu
AIM: LibrarianJames Jabber: [log in to unmask]
"A library is an arsenal of liberty." Anonymous
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