J
Johan Bengtsson
What a lot of people are trying to say is that if you buy a PLC from someone and use it. This someone then publishes the source code to whatever internal functions there is inside the PLC would that:
- Lower the value of your PLC?
- Rise the value of your PLC?
- Neither
- Make it harder to get support from the one you bought it from?
- Make it easier to get support from the one you bought it from?
- Neither
- Make it harder to get support from someone else?
- Make it easier to get support from someone else?
- Neither
Make any other difference to you as end user of the PLC?
What would the difference be if you from the start got the source?
What would the difference be if you knew it was developed as OSS?
What would the difference between having the source, developed as OSS with GNU licencing vs not having the source be if the company you bought it from discontinues the product, or no longer exists?
Have I missed any important questions?
I will now try to put answers to these questions as I see them
I realize my answers will not be the same as everybody else but anyway:
value: it would at least not be lower, ie it would rise or not change
support from vendor: probably no change, at least not harder
support from someone else: since noone else really could support you if the source isn't published this will be easier by a lot
Would it make any difference?
As long as everything is working: no
A hardware failure: not much change probably, you will need to replace the broken hardware with a new piece. For a PLC this will mean the same thing as all other PLC:s, and for a PC based control this can actually be easier if you are unable to find an exact match for the old hardware since it would be easier to get support.
If I got the source from start?
Well it would mean that I from the start got the source and the above would apply from start
If I knew it was developed as OSS?
Little difference, If I knew more about the people in the project I could perhaps know if they are good programmers or not and that could of course mean a lot about expected quality but otherwise little difference.
Gnu vs closed
I can't be locked in
/Johan Bengtsson
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P&L, Innovation in training
Box 252, S-281 23 H{ssleholm SWEDEN
Tel: +46 451 49 460, Fax: +46 451 89 833
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.pol.se/
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- Lower the value of your PLC?
- Rise the value of your PLC?
- Neither
- Make it harder to get support from the one you bought it from?
- Make it easier to get support from the one you bought it from?
- Neither
- Make it harder to get support from someone else?
- Make it easier to get support from someone else?
- Neither
Make any other difference to you as end user of the PLC?
What would the difference be if you from the start got the source?
What would the difference be if you knew it was developed as OSS?
What would the difference between having the source, developed as OSS with GNU licencing vs not having the source be if the company you bought it from discontinues the product, or no longer exists?
Have I missed any important questions?
I will now try to put answers to these questions as I see them
I realize my answers will not be the same as everybody else but anyway:
value: it would at least not be lower, ie it would rise or not change
support from vendor: probably no change, at least not harder
support from someone else: since noone else really could support you if the source isn't published this will be easier by a lot
Would it make any difference?
As long as everything is working: no
A hardware failure: not much change probably, you will need to replace the broken hardware with a new piece. For a PLC this will mean the same thing as all other PLC:s, and for a PC based control this can actually be easier if you are unable to find an exact match for the old hardware since it would be easier to get support.
If I got the source from start?
Well it would mean that I from the start got the source and the above would apply from start
If I knew it was developed as OSS?
Little difference, If I knew more about the people in the project I could perhaps know if they are good programmers or not and that could of course mean a lot about expected quality but otherwise little difference.
Gnu vs closed
I can't be locked in
/Johan Bengtsson
----------------------------------------
P&L, Innovation in training
Box 252, S-281 23 H{ssleholm SWEDEN
Tel: +46 451 49 460, Fax: +46 451 89 833
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.pol.se/
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