Warning sign
Warning sign
I hear it, but I’m paying it no mind
The failure of Silicon Valley Bank is different because of the systemic threat (to use the banking term) affecting the entire software open source use. Open source depends on the ‘eco-system’ (the interconnected dependency of software creators, community users/maintainers, vendors, and individual developers with skills). At a single event, the focus, enterprises, whole specialist communities, and individuals with skills could ALL be disrupted.
Even though major open source vendors (Alphabet/Google, IBM/RedHat, Apache Foundation, Oracle (MySQL, Java), etc.) support the largest and core function packages, there are component modules, libraries of code, and environmental codes dependent on individuals and communities. Specialized or highly focused communities could be unsupported even if the support communities and key individuals are interrupted only for days (it could possibly have been weeks or forever if people found new jobs not sympathetic to community work). Open source code depends on many small enterprises and individuals. Global colossal tech enterprises depend on these software modules as much, or more, as enterprises depend on them.
The open source tech community shares code modules and fixes like bacteria in a pond. The exchange of DNA keeps the community vital, and experiments are encouraged. The actual nature of support and responses differs from traditional vendor-supported proprietary software. Most open source software is supported on GitHub (Sourceforge, etc.) via Wiki, forums, or email. If a critical request isn’t answered for your enterprise, what will happen?
Fortunately, critical problems are infrequent – and impact large communities of enterprises when they do happen. In the global scheme of usage, this technical vulnerability seems tolerable. If your enterprise is at risk (and your position), is this risk tolerable?
Our next post will be about talk about the potential impact on products. You can read the beginning of this series here.
You can read this and other pieces about long term enterprise strategy at www.ekalore.com/blog-1
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