Why can’t we just get along? Star 10 Jun 09

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The Star Online > Corpit
Published: Friday June 5, 2009 MYT 4:59:00 PM
Why can’t we just get along?
By STEFAN NAIDU
KUALA LUMPUR: One of the points stressed at the MSC Malaysia Open Source
Conference 2009 is that there need not be a battle between the open-source
software (OSS) group and its proprietary-software counterpart.
Gery Messer, vice-president of technology solutions in Asia Pacific and Japan
for open-source Linux distribution vendor Red Hat, said the two types of
software can co-exist, possibly drawing on each other’s strengths.
“There are always at least two ways to get to the same place,” Messer said at
the conference at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel and Convention Centre here
this week.
Software giant Microsoft, which is firmly in the proprietary-software camp
agreed.
“We are committed to being open when it comes to interoperability,” said
Dzahar Mansor, national technology officer at Microsoft Malaysia.
“This includes ensuring open connections, enhancing support for industry
standards and fostering a more open engagement with customers and the
industry, including open-source communities.”
Microsoft, he said, is taking this path because it will enable its customers to
have more choice in software and be able to easily integrate mixed-source
infrastructure.
“Data will move seamlessly between applications and systems regardless of
platform or vendor,” he added.
Traditionally, OSS supporters and supporters of proprietary software have
been like oil and water.
Open-source proponents argue that proprietary software chains users to the
software companies that sell such products, whereas open-source software
liberates its users because the source code of these programs are open to
everyone for modification.
On the other end, proponents of proprietary software counter that while
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open-source software is mostly free, its users often have to pay high fees for
technical support.
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