[theforum] weo 2b: to OSS or not?

[Madhu Menon]

At 23:02 08/11/2004, Tara Cleveland wrote:
>I don't see why we shouldn't use an OSS solution. I can see using a 
>component or a little widget thingy that's proprietary for some specific 
>and necessary function. But in general, I'd say OSS ++.

I'm ambivalent about this.

On one hand, yes, having a system that many people can mess with (OSS) is 
helpful. On the other hand, different people messing with it can have 
different unpredictable effects unless the development process is managed 
very carefully, especially since we're geographically all over the globe.

There's also the issue of dumping all the development knowledge accumulated 
over the years that we've spent working on the current system. During that 
time, we've probably encountered issues that seemed trivial but were a PITA 
later, etc. The "start from scratch" approach is not always a good one, 
especially if you're not going to involve the original developer(s).
(see http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000348.html )

Apart from customising whatever software you pick, you will also have to 
migrate the existing data - articles, users, comments, ratings, etc. 
without losing any of it. Is everyone here confident it will all go without 
a hitch?

And lastly, how are we already making software recommendations without 
putting down actual functional requirements? I'd really like to see that 
first.

Regards,

Madhu

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Madhu Menon
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