Join me for a momentary break from work (and the insanity surrounding the unraveling events in the financial markets) while I reflect on the impact of open systems. Given that it’s November 1st and Fall harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere, many farmers are out in force using their open source platform and apps to bring in their crops.
As far as I know (and let me know if you think of another), the first example of a complex solution built on an open platform can be credited to the farming industry. The three point hitch and PTO (power takeoff unit) spawned a huge and diverse industry of application developers. Together the tractor and implement manufactures enabled the growth of large scale farming. The tractor platform allowed many family farms to increase productivity while reducing the number of hands needed per bushel.
The tractor, with its engine, three point hitch (used to secure application devices to the chassis) and PTO (used to power some application devices), allowed developers to build a huge combination of solutions. Attachments include: bailers, cutters, rakes, blades, carriers, tanks, seeders, disks, harrows, plows, generators, spreaders, blowers, grinders, post hole augers, log splitters, log mills, wagons, lifts, chippers, etc…
Open source platforms in IT aren’t new; they’re just recycling an old idea.
