We at PICnet are pretty strong open source supporters. Now, I wouldn't call any of us open source evangelists, which would describe some open source proponents that believe in using open source technology for its own sake. Instead, we believe that there's often tools needed for different jobs, and open source tools tend to be tools that can help both the individual organization as well as the larger community.
When it comes to business mentors, I wouldn't put Robert Kiyosaki (aka Rich Dad's son) at the top of my list. However, in cruising the iTunes store recently I came across his podcast and found an interesting segment from a focus group of his. In this clip, he brings forward the discussion of the information economy, and how it differs from the industrial economy. More specifically, he talks about the differences between castle builders and canon builders.
For instance, if we put Microsoft into the castle, who tries hard to build walls to protect their intellectual property rights, then the people firing the canons at the castle are the open source developers who are throwing away the old ideas of intellectual property rights. If people continue to fire canons at the castles, the castles are forced to spend more time protecting their investments (i.e. hiring lawyers, patent attorneys, etc), whereas smaller and more nible canon builders can focus on the cutting edge technology to keep feeding the market's needs.
I'm not sure I'd put PICnet in either boat, but it's an interesting clip to watch and think about. What does your organization or company do? Build castles or canons? Where's the future?
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