Just before I went to bed last night, I was struck with a thought. Open Source software lacks marketing muscle. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed.
Now, don’t get me wrong here. I am not an Open Source basher. In fact, I have written a book on Kylix, which runs on Linux. I like Linux and other Open Source alternatives and what they bring to the table, especially the price! 😉
But let’s be realistic here.
Open Source software appeals to geeks like you and me for a number of reasons that I won’t go into here. Geek appeal is not enough for Open Source to succeed, however.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door”. Unfortunately, Emerson’s quote no longer applies today. Open Source software usually fits into the “better mousetrap” category. Time and time again, you will find quality Open Source applications that are better than their commercial counterparts. Unfortunately it is irrelevant to the world at large. Without marketing, how will the world know about your “better mousetrap”? Is the world beating down the doors?
Marketing is where commercial companies have a distinct advantage. They allocate a percentage of their budget to get the word out about their products. Open Source software doesn’t have that luxury. Until your non-geek friends and relatives start talking about specific Open Source software applications, Open Source software will be only known among the geeks.
So what can we do to help Open Source succeed? Let everyone (not just geeks) know about it. When your average, non-technical computer user can name the top five Open Source alternatives, we’ll really start to see things get interesting!
Deliver or Die
Lately I’ve seen many writings on outsourcing development to offshore development companies. Doomsayers are claiming that the “writing is on the wall”. When I hear that, questions immediately spring to mind. What wall? What writing? Personally, I have not seen either.
If you are in a position where the possiblity of outsourcing development is or can be a reality, then I believe that there is something that you can do to improve your position and prevent the possiblity from occurring.
As a consultant and a developer, I have witnessed many IT shops in various companies that I have worked at. Time and time again, I have seen a fundamental problem arise. The IT people usually understand the business very well, but they don’t (or can’t) deliver in a timely manner. Sometimes they bring in consultants and/or contractors to see if they can help. But the results vary, depending on the resource.
While not all IT developers are created equally, it seems that most have the wrong mindset. Instead of worrying about job security, worry about delivering quality software in a timely manner. Granted, it is reasurring to know that you’ll have a job next week or even next year, but stop worring about that. Rather, focus on your job — to deliver quality software. Focusing on the goal will provide better job security than anything else that you could do.
The single, most important key for IT shops to learn is to deliver. By continually delivering quality software, why would managment outsource a viable, productive IT shop? Alternatively, if you don’t deliver, your days as an IT developer are numbered.
The bottom line here is to deliver, or watch your job die.