{"id":293,"date":"2007-05-24T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2007-05-24T15:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.formtek.com\/blog\/?p=293"},"modified":"2007-05-24T07:00:33","modified_gmt":"2007-05-24T15:00:33","slug":"open-source-shutting-out-commercial-vendors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formtek.com\/blog\/open-source-shutting-out-commercial-vendors\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Source: Shutting Out Commercial Vendors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stuart Cohen is a man with a vision for the future of software.\u00a0 One that seeks to minimize the dependence companies have on commercial IT software vendors.\u00a0\u00a0His idea is that companies in a similar industry should band together and mutually collaborate to create Open Source software that is custom made for their domain space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cohen thinks that\u00a0similar companies\u00a0working together can cut\u00a0the cost of software ownership in half and create more relevant, closely tailored solutions for their space.\u00a0 Cohen is the former CEO of the Open Source Development Labs<\/a> and now founder of the for-profit\u00a0Collaborative Software Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Financial industry led by companies like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and the Bank of New York has told Cohen that such a collaborative Open Source model is attractive to them.\u00a0 Direct collaboration of these companies could result in what some might see as anti-competitive practices, and Cohen’s company helps them get around that.\u00a0 Cohen’s new company will be funded by sponsors to develop niche Open Source, but software that will be developed using the open source process and available for all to use.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Collaborative Software Initiative signed up Even Bauer, former CTO of Credit Suisse, as their new CTO.\u00a0 They’ve also received<\/a> startup funding from OVP Venture Partners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

CSI is targeting the development of software believed to be essential to companies in\u00a0a particular\u00a0industry, but not software that is not ‘core’ to their business.<\/p>\n

It’s an interesting idea, one that software vendors won’t warmly embrace, and one that most likely would be most beneficial to consumers of products from these industries.\u00a0 While\u00a0collaborative Open Source\u00a0has the potential to reduce the total costs of doing business, top-tier companies could lose some of the competitive advantage that they’ve acquired in the industry.\u00a0 The cost of entry would be lowered,\u00a0leading to increased competition and the reduction of\u00a0prices.<\/p>\n

Advances in IT are leveling the playing field and creating intense rivalries in all industries.\u00a0 As barriers to starting and maintaining businesses shrink, the dynamics of existing markets are likely to be volatile.\u00a0 New businesses\u00a0will be able to\u00a0startup quickly and existing businesses will need to be ever more agile to remain one step ahead of their competition.<\/p>\n

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Stuart Cohen is a man with a vision for the future of software.\u00a0 One that seeks to minimize the dependence companies have on commercial IT software vendors.\u00a0\u00a0His idea is that companies in a similar industry should band together and mutually…<\/span><\/p>\n

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