Being a Free/Open Source Software Catalyst : Part I

LXer Feature: 18-Jan-2011 Having trouble convincing the Boss when it comes to FOSS? This article discusses common pitfalls that arise when advocating Free / Open Source software in your organization. This is part I of a series of articles focused upon being a part of FOSS culture change.

Catalyst: [1] A substance used in a chemical reaction that is part of a chain of events that result in the change, but are ultimately not consumed in the reaction itself.

Being a Free/Open Source Software Catalyst

Years of participation in the FOSS community have brought me into contact with a lot of dissatisfaction and discontent. A lot of organizations have indeed embraced FOSS -- but a larger landscape of proprietary software remains. This will be an article series for those of you in the trenches on the FOSS side of this battle. It will focus upon multiple aspects of the persuasion experience.

If there's a common theme among the discontent it's this: A lot of proprietary software is horribly bad in quality. Complicating matters is the fact that there is a perception (real or imagined) that there is nothing to be done about it. That you're powerless. That the choices have been made and that things are simply going to be this way forever (or for 5 years -- essentially the same time frame). That you're doomed to a life with no FOSS joy.

The choices that have been made often seem to saddle the company with a product that is expensive, buggy and insecure. Often in the same breath, the executives that seemly made these choices fire off initiatives asking the employees to help find ways to save money, improve quality and improve efficiency.

Let's talk about your role in all of this -- and let's do our best to leave out the role of "victim".

Answering the Boss when Opportunity Knocks -- Once.

Major decisions surrounding FOSS rarely happen in a vacuum. They often directly involve you and it's easy to miss the opportunity knocking at your door. For example: Did your boss recently come by your desk and ask how much time it would take to replace a proprietary product in your environment? Did you take the time to get back with him with a coherent answer?

Here's an example:

Boss: "How long would it take to replace our aging SunOne web server farm with IBM IHS?"

You or someone like you: [ Select one from the following common mistakes ]

1. What's IHS? Why aren't we considering Apache or Lighttpd?
2. No time at all -- I can do it in seconds!
3. I'm busy, this backup job is running. Can you come back in a few hours?
4. IHS? Why aren't we using Apache? It's the same thing!
5. It's about damn time! I've been telling you guys to do this for years.

• [1] Catalysis is the change in rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of a substance called a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. A catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations. Catalysts that speed the reaction are called positive catalysts. Substances that interact with catalysts to slow the reaction are called inhibitors (or negative catalysts)



• [2] Water Cooler is a prototypical social game people play where they congregate by the water cooler, talk about management and shadowy, nebulous influences and co-workers who are plotting nefarious schemes in the company (implied: the conversational subjects are the victims in this context). In real life, no water cooler is required. Water cooler is more likely played over instant messaging these days. In any case, the real damage done is that of leaving the participants with a sense that they are helpless.