Report: Open Source's Power, Speed and Assimilation

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Power, Speed and Assimilation: Open Source Changes the Industry, and the Industry Changes Open Source" report to their offering.

From 2005 through 2007, open source has been described as a software that would change the software industry, from how users buy and deploy business software to vendor business models and development strategies.

Last year, Research and Markets found key changes that had been already predicted where occurring as much as two years ahead of the expected timeframe. In short, company officials said, “we found that open source as already changed the software business as we knew it. But as a result, the software business has changed open source as well.”

The company said that in order to understand how and why so much change happened so quickly, they “deeply” researched business and technology strategies of open source and traditional software vendors.

 

“We interviewed strategists and product development executives, as well as leaders of key open source communities. We spoke with user IT executives about their software adoption and management experiences, and analyzed data from our user surveys from 2005 through 2008,” company officials said in a statement.

The company claims that they report gives valuable answers to important questions. The report will teach readers:

* Why the use of open source software within user enterprises is less and less of an accurate indicator of open source presence, influence and change.

* How commercial software vendors are changing the definitions and nature of "open source" from code to communities.

* When, and to what extent, open source software will next transform the software industry.

* What influences will open source software have on the strategies and directions of SaaS (News - Alert) and cloud computing?

Highlights Include:

* Basic nature of open source software is changing from project-based, developer-driven initiatives to vendor-driven, and vendor-owned, software.

* Same factors that attract users to open source - lower costs and reduced times of development, and reduced dependency on vendor-specific technologies - have attracted commercial software vendors to use and incorporate open source into their offerings and portfolios.

* The involvement of commercial software vendors, including Master Brands, is a key factor in the rapid acceleration of open source adoption and use throughout world markets.

* Dual-license models are a key factor in reducing the distinction between traditional open source and vendor-proprietary software.

* User executives see costs of acquisition, and the ability to modify source code, as the key drivers for open source adoption in their firms.

* Open source software is seen as delivering significant business value to user firms, and is considered viable and valuable in all aspects of user enterprise software and systems.