17
February
2006
|
08:06 AM
America/Los_Angeles

This and that: VCs swarm open source conference; Consumers can claim Linux code; Wiki enthusiast told to slow down; Sushi shows Sun is back; Edelman is aggregating the top PR bloggers

By Tom Foremski for SiliconValleyWatcher


VCs-a-plenty. . .


The place was full of VCs and vendors and I met just one person who described themselves as a potential customer! Everyone was talking deals, obviously happy with Oracle's announced open-source acquisition deals.


But building open-source communities is not something that is done by announcement. And who do you think is going to be volunteering to develop products for free, so that Larry can buy the company?




Claim your rights. . .


I had an interesting chat with a patent attorney from Philips, the huge Dutch-based consumer electronics company. Philips has been using open-source products within its products for many years. It uses Linux and other components in its TVs and other consumer electronics gear which is often resold under oem deals.


"We tell our partners that they have to offer the source code to their customers, " he said. Because that is the stipulation in the open source licensing agreement. So, if you purchase a product that contains Linux (e.g. Tivo) you have to be offered the source code. But over a five year period, not one customer has bothered to read the small print and make such a request.


He also said that the latest version of the GPL license was badly written and probably intentionally so, so as to create debate and involve larger numbers of people.




A reality smack. . .


You can't slow this man down! Well, the police can and did. SocialText founder Ross Mayfield couldn't make it all the way to San Francisco on Tuesday. In his zeal to man the wiki at the Open Source Business conference--reality caught up with him.


A policeman objected to Mr Mayfield's internet fueled frenzy of speeding to the future, and stopped him. And one thing led to another and Mr Mayfield's car was impounded.


I offered to put him up at my humble blogger encampment under the Highway 101 onramp on 4th street--but Mr Mayfield said he would be fine and would take the train back home to Palo Alto.




Sushi barometer. . .


sushi2.gifSun Microsystems sponsored the evening cocktails and food event at the conference on Tuesday. And the quality of the sushi was more than excellent. I guess the good times are coming back for Sun, and it shows Sun is back on a roll (California :-).


Corralling the top bloggers. . .


I had an excellent discussion with Richard Edelman on Tuesday morning and I knew that Steve Rubel, of Micro Persuasion would be joining the Edelman team but I was under embargo. The news is out now...


Phil Gomes, also a top blogger in the PR sector joined Edelman last year.