Linux Foundation Survey Proves Open-Source Offices Work Better (thenewstack.io) 35
DevNull127 shares some of the key findings from The New Stack's second annual "Open Source Programs in the Enterprise" survey, co-sponsored by VMware and in partnership with The Linux Foundation's TODO Group: Companies with initiatives to promote open source overwhelmingly say these efforts are improving their companies' software practices. The results [of the survey] show that proponents of free and open-source software (FOSS) have moved to the next phases of open source adoption, widening its usage within the enterprise while keeping alive the spirit and ethos of non-commercial software communities.
69% are at least sometimes using open-source code in commercial products, with that figure jumping to 83% among technology companies -- within three percentage points of the same survey's results last year. And most (79%) Internet-scale technology companies with more than 10,000 employees already have an open-source management program, which is a slight increase compared to last year. That stability shows that the next big changes in enterprise open source will instead involve its scope and how much enterprises emphasize giving back to the community.
Increased innovation rose to become the most cited benefit of open-source programs. Participants said development speed, technology flexibility, and total cost of ownership are the top three. Lower support costs were also seen as a likely benefit. But open-source programs are also improving how software development is handled. In response to one of our new questions, 81% of respondents say their program has had a positive impact on their company's software practices. In an open-ended follow-up question, code reviews and license-compliance processes were repeatedly cited as specific practices that were improved as a direct result of the program. Furthermore, code quality and reduced costs were often cited as specific benefits coming from improved software practices. While "quality" is often hard to define, many respondents say newly-instituted code reviews have been a specific positive impact on their company's software practices. The full dataset can be found here.
69% are at least sometimes using open-source code in commercial products, with that figure jumping to 83% among technology companies -- within three percentage points of the same survey's results last year. And most (79%) Internet-scale technology companies with more than 10,000 employees already have an open-source management program, which is a slight increase compared to last year. That stability shows that the next big changes in enterprise open source will instead involve its scope and how much enterprises emphasize giving back to the community.
Increased innovation rose to become the most cited benefit of open-source programs. Participants said development speed, technology flexibility, and total cost of ownership are the top three. Lower support costs were also seen as a likely benefit. But open-source programs are also improving how software development is handled. In response to one of our new questions, 81% of respondents say their program has had a positive impact on their company's software practices. In an open-ended follow-up question, code reviews and license-compliance processes were repeatedly cited as specific practices that were improved as a direct result of the program. Furthermore, code quality and reduced costs were often cited as specific benefits coming from improved software practices. While "quality" is often hard to define, many respondents say newly-instituted code reviews have been a specific positive impact on their company's software practices. The full dataset can be found here.
ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)
In a nutshell, many businesses will use open source because upfront costs are often low or free to save a buck, but over the long hall the tremendous costs of troubleshooting and lack of good support for bugs and problems eventually forces them back to proper commercial software. It can sometimes be a harsh lesson to learn, and often must be learned repeatedly, but eventually it sinks in until the next batch of MBAs graduates and swoops in.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
That's like a study commissioned by the National Vaping Foundation that proves vaping is harmless.
When I read the title:
Linux Foundation Survey Proves Open-Source Offices Work Better
Then I ask, who did they did they survey?
Which type of offices do they mean? A development shop, or a bank, or a medical facility, or a law practice?
And finally, how do they define better?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:ridiculous (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
The more important point, which nobody seems to have notices, is that survey results are now considered proof. Think of all the work this can save us!
Even more important, TFA says "shows", not "proves". A big difference. Lot's of good parts of this study that aren't all kissing FOSS's butt, should one not do a knee jerk response.
People here whining about how biased the study was apparently think that only Closed source shops are permitted to fill out surveys about open source.
It's like saying I have a Jeep, but since I have a Jeep, I'm only allowed to comment on Ford products.
Re:ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, dear. I've worked with both. The open source evolves to new needs much more rapidly, and is often much easier to modify and update for requirements. If you have any in-house expertise, it's often much swifter to leverage that expertise with the open source community. The "free as in speech" of free software, in particular, has protected me and my commercial clients from extremely expensive vendor lock-in and loss of critical data to commercial software obsolescence and vendor bankruptcy. I'd suggest that your businesses or clients are winding up with a dangerously short-sighted selection that is, in fact, one selected by MBA's rather than by more experienced IT personnel or developers. Vendor lock-in is a popular way for less skilled IT or developers to limit their responsibilities, to master a smaller and smaller set of limited capabilities and to refuse other tasks without very expensive software upgrades. It's not unique to closed source software, but the problem is much greater with closed source.
Re: (Score:2)
Most offices have three pieces of software they use more than any other: Outlook, Word and Excel. Do you think vendor bankruptcy and loss of data as a consequence thereof is ever going to be a problem for people using Microsoft?
Re:ridiculous (Score:4, Informative)
Any company can go bankrupt...
What's more likely however is that they increase telemetry and push you further towards storing your data in *their* cloud that eventually the product becomes unpalatable for a lot of users.
Re: (Score:2)
Most offices have three pieces of software they use more than any other: Outlook, Word and Excel. Do you think vendor bankruptcy and loss of data as a consequence thereof is ever going to be a problem for people using Microsoft?
No but Microsoft updates are an issue. I have to block updates to keep W10 working. I also keep a W7 install as a sure working system. As well AO is 100 percent compatible between Windows Mac and Linux. Microsoft's office is hardly compatible with itself, a mess on MacOS, and nothing for Linux.
But hey - You use what works for ya. I have to have compatibility between OS', and Microsoft doesn't offer that at all, so it's a non-starter.
Re: (Score:2)
I have to block updates to keep W10 working.
Funny, I don't have that problem. I guess it is all that malware on your system.
Re: (Score:2)
I have to block updates to keep W10 working.
Funny, I don't have that problem. I guess it is all that malware on your system.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/g... [forbes.com]
The September KB4515384 update iwas introduced.to fix a CPU spiking problem, but has broken it has broken Windows 10 search, the Start Menu, Action Center, USB connections and caused audio problems. As well it is breaking internet access for some people.
Microsoft confirms this.
Windows update 1903 is causing orange screen problems on Lenovo computers. That's a real problem if you are doing graphics work. https://www.forbes.com/sites/g... [forbes.com]
Microsoft confirms this.
Re: (Score:2)
No, those particular tools have a different set of vendor lockin problems . Loss of data due to the closed source data formats and incompatibility with older software has been an ongoing problem with Word and Excel. Loss of email archives has been a very real problem for Exchange server, underlying Outlook: it's one of the reasons that Microsoft urges keeping no email past a very modest expiration date.
And I'm afraid that the allegedly published and recoverable format of modern "OOXML documents" for Excel,
Re: ridiculous (Score:2)
Most of my experience thus has been with custom code written speci
Re: (Score:2)
most businesses don't modify their mission critical software though, except at the high end and then it's mostly on proprietary platforms. Nor do they modify their documents, spreadsheets and email software.
You're speaking of niche needs.
Re: (Score:2)
many businesses will use open source because upfront costs are often low or free to save a buck, but over the long hall the tremendous costs of troubleshooting and lack of good support for bugs and problems eventually forces them back to proper commercial software.
Commercial software can be Open Source, dumbass -- see Redhat, for example.
Re: (Score:2)
... over the long hall the tremendous costs of troubleshooting and lack of good support for bugs and problems eventually forces them back to proper commercial software.
Hogwash. When a company goes back from open-source to commercial, it only means that one clueless top manager has been strong armed (or, let's say it plainly: BRIBED) by commercial vendors/lobbyists. I'm pretty sure there's no other use case.
Needs a better joke? (Score:3)
Okay, I guess you deserve the "Insightful" mods, but the story could have used a Funny or two, and I have the feeling that your opening joke could have been stronger. Perhaps because the vaping thing is such an artificial and fake crisis? (Or maybe there are far more vapers than I'm aware of?)
On the substance, I actually studied survey techniques many years ago. What I learned is that getting the results the sponsor is paying for is the easiest kind of survey to prepare and administer. You just need to adju
Re: (Score:1)
Of course they do. (Score:3, Insightful)
For the first time in 20 years or so I'm one again in a total Windows/MS shop. Simply the amount of hassle my admin comrade has to go through to just maintain licences is alone something I could and would never put up with in this day and age.
Re: (Score:1)
For the first time in 20 years or so I'm one again in a total Windows/MS shop. Simply the amount of hassle my admin comrade has to go through to just maintain licences is alone something I could and would never put up with in this day and age.
Which is quite understandable, since the only real purpose of Microsoft products is to earn profits for the company and its shareholders.
First things first.
Re: (Score:1)
The only purpose for EVERY business is to earn profits for the company and its shareholders.
Re: Of course they don't ... (Score:3)
Train0987 blurted:
The only purpose for EVERY business is to earn profits for the company and its shareholders.
Not any more [businessroundtable.org].
Take a look at the signatories to that statement of management principles. It's a pretty impressive list that includes the CEOs of some of the largest corporations in the USA - and very few of them are hippy-dippy, love-peace-and-flowers types like Howard Schultz.
Ever since the 1980's, when MBAs began taking over every major company in the western world, the idiotically-stupid litany of "increasing shareholder profits is the only goal of corporate businesses" has shouldered o
Re: (Score:2)
I only got through about 4 sentences of your manifesto, sorry. Businesses don't stay in business very long if they don't make a profit.
Re: (Score:2)
Big advantage for open source there. It is not a "business" focused on profits.
Re: (Score:2)
That must be why open source has been crushing Microsoft for the past 30 years. You do realize that the post I was replying to was about Microsoft, right?
Re: (Score:2)
The biggest advantage of FOSS, you update when you want to, not when the corporation that owns your computer via the software you paid for wants to and often against your interests.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
True for small projects. However, Pine has successfully tapped into large developer communities (Debian, Ubuntu, Android, etc.) for its Pine64 and Rock boards, Pinebook and Pinebook Pro laptops, etc.
For the watch and phone they are tapped into Ubuntu Touch, PostmarketOS Plasma Mobile,SailfishOS, LuneOS, and Wizzup from Maemo Leste.
That said, this is very much a nerd/hacker project. Don't expect a finished "product". You will have to update it as the software matures. Some software may never mature but most
Re: (Score:2)
What about the hassle for the people who have to use the software? Do they have more or less compared with using $FREE_OFFICE_SUITE? I'm thinking probably less because MS Office is what they are all used to.
Re: (Score:2)
pfff, your comrade's time is cheap. so are licenses for any normal profitable company. Cost of IT staff and softwares are not a viable argument against closed source.
Show me the closed source office (Score:2)
Show me an office and I'll find the open source.
Somewhere there WILL be a component based on OSS. Remember when Windows used the BSD stack, or at least components thereof? Even windows has OSS in it.
Said the Anonymous Microsoft troll (Score:1, Troll)
Re: (Score:1)
You should not cast stones when in a glass house:
Bash Shellshock
Linux Kernel's Zero-Day Vulnerability
OpenSSL Heartbleed
Apache Struts (Equifax)
GCC Glibc Vulnerability
Android Quadrooter
HTTPS/SSL/TLS Drown
MySQL/MariaDB/PerconaDB Critical Vulnerability
and so many others