Smell my tires!
To cheer up the Open Source Software crowd, an equity research analyst came up with this slide (page 40) in his presentation on Open Source Software business models, stating that open source can be turbo expensive as well.
I guess if I had to bring this thought to venture capital money-bags, I’d use the same example. If I’d have to convince housewives on the same topic, I’d put together Chanel vs. second hand Mark&Spencer (sold this week for 4 £ on eBay):
If my audience would be preschool kids, I’d avoid prices, but still would find an example of different implementation levels. Like this:
But the author of the Open Source Lamborghini Dream did not talk in front of kids or housewives, or venture capitalists. His talked to open source developers and specialists.
I would find it alarming, but as it seems the audience loved it, which is even more alarming, because it proves that there are no convincing examples from the world of software.
But, I should confess, it is very rare that somebody is giving a Powerpoint presentation in my presence, so maybe car pictures are sort of part of the presentation culture, a power point gag, a way to grasp attention.
Coming back to Lamborghini: By itself is not an example of high level implementation standards. It is an example of a prestigious, luxurious toy, mostly seen in rap videos and in news reports on Russian oligarchs. To see it in the context of Open Source Software is frustrating. As well as to read in the previous slide (39), that the OSS Market “exhibits aspects of a branded consumer luxury good. Strong brand preference – like perfume.” Paradoxically he compares software and perfume while at the same time suggesting that software has no smell.
Well, listening to Power-Point-Presentations can by a very exhausting eXperience, as Power-Point can pre-define with content templates what you say in what order. So, you need deliver something that sticks. If it also makes sense, that’s a great plus albeit not a mandatory one.
This Brent guy is right in one aspect - a successful open source project is definitely a really great brand. I mean - isn’t the question whether you use Gnome or KDE not structurally the same as whether you use an Atari ST or an Amiga during the hacking heidays of the 1980’s? You can add any other pair of open source projects that are used for the same purpose - be it MySQL vs. PostreSQL, Compiz vs. Beryl, or many others which just don’t come up in my mind right now.