Open Sources | Rodrigues & Urlocker » Open Sources Reflections on 2006 (Matt's version)

December 22, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Open Sources Reflections on 2006 (Matt's version)

TAGS: Open Source

As 2006 nears its close, Dave and I decided to try to do a "Year in Review" sort of post or two. You can find Dave's here.

This has been an exceptional year for open source (and for me, personally, though Arsenal didn't contribute much to that). I was with Alfresco all year, as well as the advisory boards for SugarCRM, JasperSoft, Specifix, MuleSource (sort of - still waiting for my paperwork, Dave :-), Intoto, and Bungee Labs, as well as the board of OSI and the Open Source Business Conference. These gave me a bird's eye view into different sectors of the industry, so as to separate hype from reality in open source.

Guess what? All signs are positive for open source, no matter where you look.

2006 was the year that Linux became so mainstream that you could buy it at Wal-Mart. (Well, not quite that mainstream, but mainstream enough that Wal-Mart was actively running its business on Linux, as well as other open source technologies.) It was also the year that the open source middleware (JBoss, in particular) and database (MySQL, in particular) markets really solidified, and that open source applications started flying off the shelves into the Global 2000, the SME market, and everything in between.

It was also the year that the Proprietary Bloc finally woke up to the imminent threat, and started to lash out.

Here's my month-by-month review of the biggest news of 2006 for open source:

January

• The SCO FUD is in full thaw, and enterprises start to talk about massive (and minor) programs to adopt open source.

• Open source venture funding started to rise significantly, with a collection of VCs doing the bulk of the funding.

• Microsoft kicked off its open source partner program with JBoss, with a range of others (MySQL, SugarCRM, Novell) to follow. (Kudos to Jason Matusow for doing some of the sowing here, and Bill Hilf for sowing and reaping.)

• The GPLv3 went live for comment. And boy did those comments come....

• I wrote about Red Hat's business model, but few listened.

• People like Dave hoped (in vain) for the Linux desktop.

• Microsoft starts to get a little smarter about open source, arguing that it competes with some products that happen to be open source, but not open source, itself.

February

• JBoss comes out swinging against "fake open source." Marc also swatted at Red Hat, but all of those comments disappeared from his blog.... :-)

• In a prescient move, we posted on how enterprises can protect themselves from their open source companies/projects being acquired. The fact that Oracle tried to buy MySQL was a textbook example.

• Open source venture investments top $1.3 billion.

• Rumors abound that Oracle would acquire JBoss, Sleepycat, and Zend. Only one of these (Sleepycat) ends up going through, but no word on JBoss...

March

• Ballmer starts the "Microsoft IP in Linux" FUD war. Unfortunately, he failed to notice all the open source IP in his own products.

• Vista delays reported...again.

• Mozilla pulls in $72 million without even trying.

• More and more open source projects succumb to the allure of venture money.

• Open source's allegedly superior security is called into question. (And rightly so - a project is only as secure as the quality of the people and process involved. Open source is helpful, but not a panacea.)

April

• Sun drags its feet on open sourcing Java, and treats scripting languages like toys.

• Sun's McNealy steps down, paving the way for the more open source progressive, Jonathan Schwartz. (Would that Microsoft could shed itself of its brilliant but backward Ballmer....)

• Oracle starts rumbling about Linux.

• Open source applications hit their stride with everyone from Alfresco to GroundWork to JasperSoft to Zmanda to SugarCRM chomping away at the Proprietary Bloc.

• Red Hat's JiHat begins in earnest with the acquisition of JBoss. The question looms: how will Matthew and Marc get along?

May

• OpenSolaris appears to be effective in stemming some of the rush to Linux. Some.

• Microsoft starts to feel a bit worried by Google's ambitions.

• The problem of how to leverage open source downloads into paying customers persists. Every open source company thinks and talks about it...daily. Larry Augustin writes an interesting post on the topic.

• I note that open source needs more competition. There shouldn't be one open source company per application space. That's lame.

• Jonathan Schwartz hints at open source Java in the near term.

• Open source revenue models grow up and become more sophisticated.

June

Red Hat continues to blow Novell's Linux business out of the water. This continues to baffle some, because many prefer SLES from a technical point of view. (The answer, btw, is "execution.")
• IT buyers go for open source in droves, but persist in thinking their vendors are trying to cheat them. (It will take time to undo all the damage the Proprietary Bloc has done to the software market.)

• I convince IDG to hold OSBC once per year, which is much better for everyone (including me).

• 25% of Dell's business goes Linux.

• Gartner acknowledges that open source applications are hot. Meaning, every company you'd want to buy from or work for is using them.

• I write that open source licenses help to mitigate against the worst of vendor intentions, but are not perfect in doing so.

• Google continues to get credit where no credit is due.

• Zimbra gets more media coverage than Paris Hilton...and for much better reasons.

• MySQL continues to knock the ball out of the solar system. It becomes the Web 2.0 database darling and shifts more and more of its business from OEM sales to enterprise sales. Oracle pretends to be unconcerned.

• I suggest that successful open source projects need not relocate to Silicon Valley and apparently freak out every denizen of the Valley. Perish the thought that it's not the center of the open source universe. (It's not, btw...not even close.)

• Martin Taylor, once Microsoft's chief anti-Linux officer, resigns from Microsoft. I really liked Martin, and was sorry to see him go.

July

• Microsoft opens up its file formats to appease governments and shut up its critics. Successful on Count 1, but not so much on Count 2. Sometimes you just can't win....

• Open source really takes off on Windows. SugarCRM, Alfresco, and other open source companies report over half of their downloads are on Windows.

• Unisys becomes the biggest open source system integrator.

• The US Department of Defense comes out strongly in favor of open source, declaring it a superior way to achieve national security than through proprietary software.

• JBoss points the way to how to create a successful open source business.

• MySQL and PostgreSQL show how open source can create new markets and not simply commodify old ones.

• Open source virtualization project, Xen, is declared not quite ready for enterprise deployment.

August

• A debate kicks up as to whether open source companies can ever do more than $1 billion in revenues. Short answer: Yes. It's also the long answer.

• US state government CIOs overwhelmingly vote for open source, complementing open source's unstoppable force abroad in governments.

• Digium takes venture funding from Matrix Partners. I say "takes" because every VC on the planet had tried (and failed) to get Mark to take their money.

• That Sun hippie starts to make serious bank for the company. Pretty good for a guy with a pony tail. :-)

• The 451 highlights what is now painfully obvious: open source stack providers need a new business model.

• Marc Fleury proves that you don't have to be a boring loser, just because you work for a big company.

September

• Proprietary innovation goes the way of the dodo.

• Ubuntu continues its rise as the community Linux distribution of choice, and makes eyes at the enterprise.

• GPLv3 starts to generate a lot of criticism, with none more potent than Linus'.

• Microsoft introduces the Open Specification Promise, which basically says it won't sue you. Maybe. In some cases. Depending on the day. (Sorry, Jason - couldn't resist!)

• It becomes more public and obvious than ever that open source manages/drives/undergirds/etc. the web.

• Open source databases take over the enterprise.

• And yet, Linux and Windows have yet to really start duking it out in the enterprise.

October

• MuleSource launches and immediately becomes the de facto, enterprise-class open source ESB.

• Red Hat invests more R&D dollars in Linux innovation, moving beyond its "packager of Linux" history.

• Peter Quinn, CIO of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, quits. Who knew that IT could be so political?

• Microsoft touts open source and the advertising-driven business model as its biggest competitors.

• MySQL adds an Enterprise product and comes up with an innovative spin on a "network" product.

• Oracle goes for the Red Hat jugular by announcing discounted support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It conveniently leaves out all the devilish details. Red Hat's stock drops 25%.

• The open source attribution debate begins in earnest.

• Microsoft and Zend partner to speed PHP performance on Windows. Mission accomplished.

November

• Following on the heels of the Oracle announcement, Microsoft teams up with Novell to offer patent protection (from themselves(???)) and enhanced Windows/Linux interoperability. Few note that this opens up the possibility of Microsoft using its patents to tax open source.

• Google pledges to open up customer data to those same customers (i.e., data portability).

• Samba rejects the Microsoft/Novell deal, and asks Novell to reconsider. (Answer: "No way.")

• Java is GPL'd.

• Microsoft announces that Linux violates its IP. All that work Bill Hilf had done...down the drain. Note to Ballmer: Sometimes you get in the way of your company's progress.

• Medsphere melts down because management tried to be the open source company its investors were funding it to be.

December

• Most vendors can't see beyond Linux, apparently, but open source middleware, databases, and applications continue to thrive, all the same.

• Red Hat tops CIO Insight's "value" list again. It also moves to the New York Stock Exchange, where it finishes a prosperous year with excellent Q3 results.

• Microsoft's SharePoint product becomes its fastest growing product ever, with little response from the industry.

• SugarCRM and JasperSoft announce that they are kicking proprietary's tail.

• Novell and Microsoft announce that they have customers in common. Yeah. There really is no news there, except that they also discounted their pricing to roughly zero. Is it a customer if they're not paying money?

All in all, a very interesting (and prosperous) year for open source.

On a more personal note, here are some Matt Asay highlights of 2006:

• I got to see several Arsenal matches (one of the perks of working for a UK-based company). More importantly, I have now thoroughly brainwashed my children into supporting Arsenal, too. Even my 18-month old. One of her first five words was "Arsenal." Really.

• I was fortunate to hire the best sales/business development team on this planet. Really. I am constantly surprised by how talented these people are. Luis, Martin, Jason, Michael, Yong (and two more on the way!): thanks for being the best. Yes, this will invite even more recruiters to call asking about you, but whatever. Credit where credit is due.

• I, along with the other OSBC team, was able to fully move control of OSBC into IDG's hands. This gives me much more free time to spend on...Alfresco, FIFA 2007, and family. (Or would, if I weren't now consulting for IDG on the program.)

Through Open Sources and AC/OS, 100,000 of you spend time with me each month. I appreciate that. Hopefully, it's interesting and useful. See you in 2007.

Posted by Matt Asay on December 22, 2006 12:46 PM

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