Success Happy

Why Open Source software has not been a big success?

1_What do they lack? 2_Why can't they catch up or surpass proprietary software? 3_Is there a problem with their business model? 3_What Should they do to become a profitable so they can take on any development project like Google? 4_Why aren't they as profitable as Google, Microsoft, etc.?

Public Comments

1. 1) I think open source software's Achilles' heel is user friendliness. Despite all the gripes people have with Windows they can't deny that Linux is far less user friendly. Anyway Windows comes with the PC. Partitioning the hard drive? Learning to use the terminal? Eh? Not user friendly. Open office is also not as easy to use as word, the spell checker dictionary doesn'thave commonly used words built in etc. But hey it's free right? 2) Some open source software is at the level of proprietary software but again it comes down to user friendliness. It's also usually behind proprietary software because it relies on volunteers mainly to debug the software. Most people have full time jobs and can't spend the whole day writing new code, after a while they may get tired of a particular program and focus their efforts on another. 3)I don't think that there is a problem. Everyone has access to code so problems are usually sorted out very quickly without waiting weeks for a software vendor to release a patch. They don't need to become profitable to take on Google. If enough volunteers (sufficiently knowledgeable) pitched in they could do it. Idealistic I know. 4) Most open source projects are meant to be free so this really isn't an issue. Another reason is that most people don't care about open source, many people don't even know what it means. They want fully functioning software out of the box not a watered down open source program with half the features no matter what the cost. Hope this helps.
2. I think the main answer to your questions is lack of Business Support, private companies do not use open source as much because 1) their support non existant or not as good as vendors support 2) they are fearful on the longevity of the product if a communit is making new versions and not getting paid for it, what will happen to the software in 5 years from now will it still be around?
3. 1: "Lack" is in the eye of the beholder. I use more open source tools for video editing, like avidemux and virtualdub, than proprietary software. 2: People get paid to make proprietary software. They can afford to spend entire days working on it. Many open source developers wait in hopes of receiving a few donations. 3: Open source is more of a community than a business, it's not all about making money. 4: Start building proprietary software. 5: I don't know about Google, but Microsoft spends a lot of money in advertising their product to make sure that it is known to the entire world.
4. We may differentiate between open source softwares, and the various business models around them. Regarding the first point I wouldn't say open source is not a success:) Think of Linux, Apache, PHP... Regarding the second point. I do not know the answer (I'm not an expert), however I would emphasize one thing: R&D is necessary for producing innovative things. And i doubt whether open source would be a good model behind R&D. At least it's not enough. In practice open source softwares are many times "commodity" products. In other words many open source softwares "just" follow proprietary softwares and ideas. They enter the market when the older brother has already returned on investment.