RE: Did IBM Hijack Apache????

["Shields, Ken" <kenshields@xxxxxxx>]

        Seems to me the small project groups within 'Open Source', leave 
themselves open, to just that kind of activity.
        If the groups work was always mandated as belonging to the 'Open 
Source' world, and no large corporation could
        buy into it, these kinds of activities wouldn't happen.
        How then can someone use the term 'hijack'?
money talks and B$#@@&^%  walks...
Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Shaw [mailto:mhshaw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 3:59 PM
To: MIDRANGE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Did IBM Hijack Apache???? 


Folks,

Bob Cringly's weekly column was just posted on the pbs web site.  He
basically states that IBM hijacked Apache from Open Source.........

"It is possible to hijack an Open Source project since any Open Source
team will automatically bend itself around the party doing the most
work. What I find most interesting, however, is applying varying motives
to the hijacking. What if Microsoft, for example, suddenly started
devoting a lot of resources to Open Source development? They could throw
a team at all the key projects. But why would they do that? Well, IBM is
already doing it. IBM has hired most of the Apache team. IBM has some
major pull on what work gets done and does not get done. In some cases,
it is frustrating, and other cases not. However, everybody just accepts
it because IBM is paying the bills and people can do what they love. Is
there an official IBM party line at Apache? Absolutely not! It is just
that none of the Apache developers will talk negatively about IBM, even
those that do not work at IBM. So in this sense, it already appears that
Apache has been hijacked."

Full article URL: 
 
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20030424.html

That a pretty bold statement!

Regards,

Mike Shaw