Top Vendors Speak of the Virtues of Open-Source Software

If enterprise has any misgivings on the marketability of open source, the major IT vendors are certainly providing testimonials to its value this week.

Companies like IBM, HP and Novell, which have invested in projects such as the Apache Web server, FreeBSD, GNOME, GNU, KDE and of course Linux, say that open source is not only good for their long-term business models but also for their existing products.

Novell vice chairman Chris Stone said those who fear the rise of open source are blind to its benefits.

"There is a misconception that open source is a haven for purple-Mohawked hackers who write sub-standard code. That is not true," Stone said to attendees at this week's Open Source Business Conference 2004 here.

"According to our inquiries, 60 percent of the developer community is working on open source projects -- sometimes on their time, sometimes on your time -- and that is good."