The Win, Fail and Meh of Open Source in 2008 - The H Open: News and Features

Shorter Win, Fail and Meh of Open Source in 2008

Win - Novell got FOSS - OpenSUSE 11.1 was the release when Novell finally got what it meant to create a free distribution, changing OpenSUSE into a free DVD distribution, with a separate CD of non-OSS available for those who want the more proprietary bits.

Win - Kernel Log - The readers of C't in Germany had enjoyed the Kernel Log in print for some time, but in 2008 it came online, not just in Germany, but also in the UK. Though it may be blowing our own trumpet, it's a great way to keep up to date with what's going on at the leading edge of Linux.

Fail - The Debian Community - What should have been a relatively simple release of Debian 5.0, "Lenny", turned into a protracted wait as the community debated what it wanted to do about firmware blobs. Then it just got worse when the issue was put to a vote with a resignation, heated arguments and calls for expulsions. A textbook example of a community fail.

Meh - Sun buys MySQL - Sun bought MySQL. It took till the end of the year for MySQL 5.1 to appear and it arrived with a warning from Monty. Like many Sun acquisitions, buying MySQL must have made some level of business sense, but we're still waiting to see some "synergy" come from the purchase.

Some things of course don't fit into one category and manage a trifecta...

Win - Firefox and Chrome - The established open source browser went up a version to general acclaim and was joined in competition by a new upstart in the form of Google's Chrome, but then competition is what spurs the market on.

Fail - Firefox and Chrome - A critical vulnerability disclosed within five hours of Firefox 3's release. Chrome only appearing on Windows. Being open source, maybe we expected more, but open source, like Soylent Green, is made of people and people do make mistakes.

Meh - Firefox and Chrome - Firefox 3.1 has rolled into next year as features got pushed into the roadmap. Chrome had the "beta" label pulled off it like a sticking plaster. The secret of great open source may, like comedy, be in the timing.