The Wall Street Journal and others report recently that HP, IBM, Intel and other big players have joined in support of the Free Standards Group and Linux Standard Base 2.0 to strengthen their market position against Microsoft by warding off the fragmentation of Linux. I read this with interest because at one time some commentators believed that the very nature of the GPL coupled with network effects would prevent Linux from fragmenting. That is, they thought that because the GPL allowed companies to adopt a standard format, that therefore they would. But to survive in a competitive market, many companies will seek a unique niche and find themselves wanting to differentiate their own product, to be better than others even if it means less compatibility. To maintain standardization, some kind of special institution (like the IEEE) or cultural factors (like the focus on Linus Torvalds) must come into play. The GPL and network effects unaided won't do it.

This should sound a cautionary note for those who want the GPL to be adopted for everything under the sun, perhaps with a nudge from a governmental toe. Not every group of developers will be as amenable to working towards common standards as has the Linux crowd thus far. The fate of Unix--doomed to non-user-friendliness when it fragmented after being wrested from the Bell System by antitrust decree--awaits the unwary.

posted by Solveig Singleton @ 10:10 AM | Software

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