[Bug 1] Re: Microsoft has a majority market share

[spandanj]

Please take a look at the following article:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/linux/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212100714

where it presents causes and solutions to fixing linux. The causes can
be summed up as too many choices lead to fragmentation before it leads
to or along with innovation. You can't bring innovation if different
software/components won't work with each other in the first place.
Although open source sounds much better than closed source
philosophically, it's implementation to provide user-friendly computer
experience is not achieved--IMO, mainly due fragmentation of software.
The greatest advantage of open-source philosophy ie. to allow freedom of
choice to design as per a particular individual or a group's preference
and inspiring innovation, is also it's greatest weakness because it
leads to fragmentation at many levels which eventually leads to sub-par
user experience. Obviously, in theory, by allowing anyone to contribute
in bringing change to the linux software universe, it should bring
faster innovation than in a closed-source enviroment where an authority
holds power over what changes are allowed. However, open source software
(OSS) fails because the changes and innovation are not co-ordinated <--
a direct result of a lack of supreme authority. very good example that I
know of is the Audio API -- alsa, pulse, etc. Very annoying. In fact,
such fragmentation hinders innovation. Consider the fact that there
isn't an audio editor that works under ubuntu 8.04 that supports pulse.
Compare that to a universe of audio editors available for windows
platform! Software developers working with windows are fully aware and
clear about specifications for design because there's only one
specification--windows. That is much easier than fitting to not only
many but also ever-changing specifications found in linux universe!

That is the fallacy of choice. Due to this fallacy, the potential for
open source innovation is not realized and leads to a chaotic user
experience.

What I would like to know is the steps taken to overcome this fallacy.
Please list them here. Is FOSS one of them? Open "standards"?

-- 
Microsoft has a majority market share
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Mozilla
Bugs, which is a direct subscriber.