User:Mpg

Michael P. Gerlek

LizardTech, Inc.

(google hits moved to [here])

Notes on OS for Corporate Use

 * companies are scared about IP issues and long term support: they want to leverage existing SW, so as not to reinvent... but not get screwed over


 * "show me rather than tell me"


 * ofttimes corporate "fears" are largely cultural, or not-invented-here -- nothing truly quantifiable


 * companies who use libgeotiff, proj4, etc, to be more"open" about this. They should know that they can submit patches back for these libs, and yet still keep their proprietary code as closed


 * "proprietary" is a four-letter word in some OS circles. OSGeo is an appropriately "inclusive" arena for companies to work with


 * start with the $5K projects (fix this bug), and them lead them down the garden path to the $15K projects ("do whatever you need to do") ... And then get them to open some of their own APIs... And then get them to open up some of their "lesser" tools and libraries...


 * nervous about words like "advocacy" -- the right word, but it all too often comes across from OS zealots like religious idealogy, which is off-putting to many


 * ESRI uses gdal -- other companies?... do a case study?, get them on the public record?


 * ping other project owners for well-known geo companies using osgeo projects


 * test logos page