Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SBA backs “big business” by neglecting open source
It’s not often that you’ll catch ScrappyUntechie looking at politics instead of entrepreneurship. In this case, it’s one and the same.
I was a bit stunned by a press release emailed to me yesterday by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Here’s a link to the PDF version - U.S. Small Business Administration and Business Software Alliance Join Forces to Educate Small Businesses on Proper Software Management.
(For starters, I want to disclose that my consulting business - with my client, the Government of the District of Columbia - has worked with many exceptionally qualified and committed SBA staffers. Together, we planned and launched the Enhanced Business Information Center (e-BIC), which was the first program of its type in the nation combining a Business Information Center with the business resources of a local public library.)
Yesterday’s press release is not SBA’s finest moment, in my opinion. You don’t need to read much of the press release to see what it’s all about. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is mostly the who’s who list of companies that want you to pay for software. What’s the problem with that? Well, I am 100 percent AGAINST software piracy. I do not believe that we have the right to steal software or services to advance our own interests. So, in a sense, I support what the BSA stands for - pay for software, don’t steal it.
What I am missing is why the SBA is going out of its way to promote licensing expensive software, when many small businesses are unaware of the benefits and value of open source (FREE) software. In my opinion, the SBA’s initiative with the BSA to help companies ensure they are properly licensing software misses the point. Ultimately, the SBA is supposed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses be scrappy… do more with less. Many types of open source software offer comparable, if not superior, value as compared to the traditional fee-based rivals.
If you decide to audit your company’s software use and cut down on piracy, take a look at replacing pirated software with open source alternatives. You’ll feel better and save money. Many would say that you’ll even end up with better software.
It would be ideal if the SBA could reach out to the various open source communities, who do not have the same deep pockets as the companies behind the BSA. Today’s ScrappyUntechie is a reminder to take a look at open source alternatives when starting a business or selecting new software. I’m just trying to give “equal time” to the open source community.
Open Source Associations:
» Free Software Foundation
» Open Source.org
Open Source Applications (small sampling):
» Mozilla - email, web browser, calendar
» OpenOffice - office applications
» Miranda - instant messaging client
» WordPress - blog
» Songbird - media player
» TrueCrypt - encryption
All is well.
I was a bit stunned by a press release emailed to me yesterday by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Here’s a link to the PDF version - U.S. Small Business Administration and Business Software Alliance Join Forces to Educate Small Businesses on Proper Software Management.
(For starters, I want to disclose that my consulting business - with my client, the Government of the District of Columbia - has worked with many exceptionally qualified and committed SBA staffers. Together, we planned and launched the Enhanced Business Information Center (e-BIC), which was the first program of its type in the nation combining a Business Information Center with the business resources of a local public library.)
Yesterday’s press release is not SBA’s finest moment, in my opinion. You don’t need to read much of the press release to see what it’s all about. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is mostly the who’s who list of companies that want you to pay for software. What’s the problem with that? Well, I am 100 percent AGAINST software piracy. I do not believe that we have the right to steal software or services to advance our own interests. So, in a sense, I support what the BSA stands for - pay for software, don’t steal it.
What I am missing is why the SBA is going out of its way to promote licensing expensive software, when many small businesses are unaware of the benefits and value of open source (FREE) software. In my opinion, the SBA’s initiative with the BSA to help companies ensure they are properly licensing software misses the point. Ultimately, the SBA is supposed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses be scrappy… do more with less. Many types of open source software offer comparable, if not superior, value as compared to the traditional fee-based rivals.
If you decide to audit your company’s software use and cut down on piracy, take a look at replacing pirated software with open source alternatives. You’ll feel better and save money. Many would say that you’ll even end up with better software.
It would be ideal if the SBA could reach out to the various open source communities, who do not have the same deep pockets as the companies behind the BSA. Today’s ScrappyUntechie is a reminder to take a look at open source alternatives when starting a business or selecting new software. I’m just trying to give “equal time” to the open source community.
Open Source Associations:
» Free Software Foundation
» Open Source.org
Open Source Applications (small sampling):
» Mozilla - email, web browser, calendar
» OpenOffice - office applications
» Miranda - instant messaging client
» WordPress - blog
» Songbird - media player
» TrueCrypt - encryption
All is well.
