The Value of Open Technologies

by Bill Day

June 11, 2002 —

Q: I am a resident of Mumbai, India currently working on Microsoft
technologies but I have been a Java fan for some time now. To put it
simply, Windows sucks and the small amount of knowledge that I have
about Unix makes me want to switch sides. I want to continue
developing software in Java and promote Java's usage here in India.
How I go about doing this?

A: Thank you for your message and questions.

I too am a big fan of Unix and Java technologies -- indeed, of all open
technologies. Openness and standards give you choice. When approaching a
new development project, or even building a new service or Web company,
you need to be as flexible as possible to give yourself room to make
changes and modify plans on the fly. Open technologies maximize such
flexibility.

If you want to continue using open technologies like Unix and Java, and
help others see the value of them too, then the most important thing to
know is how to discuss the differences between fundamentally open
approaches versus closed solutions.

Open technologies, including Unix and Java, allow you, as a developer,
to choose the fastest and most capable hardware systems to execute your
Unix and Java applications and services. Start your development on
small, relatively inexpensive workstations such as Linux boxes running
Java, then scale up to "big iron" from Sun, IBM, HP, or numerous other
vendors as required.

On the business side, open technologies provide a host of choices from
among the most cost effective hardware, software, and service vendors to
meet your needs. The entire industry of Unix vendors, Java-based
middle-tier and application server companies, and database providers is
at your disposal. Put simply, open technologies offer extreme
flexibility as you develop solutions and grow your business.

Proprietary technologies lock you into particular hardware and software
platforms, operating systems, etc..., curtailing your choices and
limiting your options. Developers often have difficulty selecting
appropriately sized hardware as their applications and services need to
scale up from development through deployment and production. Also,
limited competition and suppliers typically make proprietary systems
more expensive. Proprietary solutions confine your development options
and tend, unnecessarily, to increase your costs.

You may encounter strong "religious" opinions about Windows versus Unix
or Java, as these tend to be hotly debated subjects that technical
people hold strong opinions about. Whenever you face technical and
business decisions about the technologies, the vendors, building new
applications and services, and making them available to your company or
customers, I would encourage you to model your dialog using the open
versus proprietary outline. I think you will find it will help others
better understand the value of open technologies.

ITworld