Will it take open source to unlock OSS potential?

I have this sense that the other OSS, open source software, holds the key to the next wave of OSS (Operational Support Systems) innovation.

Why? Well, as yesterday’s post indicated (through Nic Brisbourne), “it’s hard to do big things in a small way.” I’d like to put a slight twist on that concept by saying, “it’s hard to do big things in a fragmented way.” [OSS is short for fragmented after all]

The skilled resources in OSS are so widely spread across many organisations (doing a lot of duplicated work) that we can’t reach a critical mass of innovation. Open source projects like ONAP represent a possible path to critical mass through sharing and augmentating code. They provide the foundation upon which bigger things can be built. If we don’t uplift the foundations across the whole industry quickly, we risk losing relevance (just ask our customers for their gripes list!).

BTW. Did you notice the news that Six Linux Foundation open source networking projects have just merged into one? The six initial projects are ONAP, OPNFV, OpenDaylight, FD.io, PDNA, and SNAS. The new project is called the LF Networking Fund (LFN).

But you may ask how organisations can protect their trade secrets whilst embracing open source innovation. Derek Sivers provides a fascinating story and line of thinking in “Why my code and ideas are public.” I really recommend having a read about Valerie.

Alternatively, if you’re equating open source with free / unprofitable, this link provides a list of highly successful organisations with significant open source contributions. There are plenty of creative ways to be rewarded for open source effort.

Comment below if you agree or disagree about whether we need OSS to unlock the potential of OSS innovation.

If this article was helpful, subscribe to the Passionate About OSS Blog to get each new post sent directly to your inbox. 100% free of charge and free of spam.

Our Solutions

Share:

Most Recent Articles

No telco wants to buy an OSS/BSS

When you’re a senior exec in a telco and you’ve been made responsible for allocating resources, it’s unlikely that you ever think, “gee, we really

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.