Dominic Sartorio

There's been a lot of pubic discussion recently about what it means to be open. While the OSI has published the Open Source Definition, which lists 10 attributes of what it means to be "open source," commercial entities have emerged that are described as "hybrid" models. Many companies offer a version of a product that's sold under an OSI-approved license and another version under a commercial license. Others sell and support products that meet some but not all of the 10 attributes. These companies purport to be "open" without meeting this strict definition, leading to a spirited debate about what it means to be open in an evolving market. Meanwhile, commercial open source is clearly coming of age, as was evident by the breadth of successful open companies at this year's OSBC in San Francisco. I exhibited there and can attest to the positive energy and optimism, mo... (more)

The Open Solutions Alliance Enters Its Second Year

Anyone who’s ever been involved in the beginning of a nonprofit consortium will tell you that the first year is the hardest. The initial high of coming together in the name of a shared cause gives way to the drudgery of meetings, working groups and member politics. The realities of executing against the vision and the inherent challenges of keeping an all-volunteer organization active and engaged set in. For many such consortia, the first year can be the last. The Open Solutions Alliance overcame these challenges in its first year and has emerged as a successful, thought-l... (more)

OS Hot Trends: Collaboration, SaaS and Overseas Expansion

In our first annual survey of our membership and other open source software and services companies, the Open Solutions Alliance (OSA) found much optimism despite a murky economy, and a surprisingly high level of collaboration by open source software and services companies. The survey was conducted among 46 companies - both OSA members and companies that we like to think of as future OSA members. With 78 percent of survey participants reporting that the affordable price of open source software is motivating their customers, it was no surprise that 83 percent of participants said t... (more)