Why Now?

• Internet growth

  • Has enabled the existing open source community to grow 10-1000x larger from 1990
    • larger than any company
  • AND has enabled a fundamentally new style of software (and market) development, that changes the rules of the game in ways often not open to closed source

• OSS has reached critical mass

  • V.C., IPO's and now large companies are infusing large amounts of capital, which can be applied to OSS's weaknesses
  • Many formerly part-time key people now work full time on OSS
    • increasing the rate of progress further
  • Support infrastructure is appearing
  • Conventional marketing channels now available