Comment Re:Why would anyone invest in RedHat ? (Score 1) 148
I can answer your question with the following analogy: A plumber uses technology that is "open source," i.e., knowledge of basic mathematics, hydraulics, hydrology, and so on. So what does a plumber offer? The answer is that the plumber knows more than the layman, and the knowledge base of the plumbing industry is sufficiently complex to prevent a layman from threatening his/her livelihood.
Red Hat and others may not control the technology they use, but the technology (GNU/Linux) is and will remain sufficiently complex (particularly in its interaction with other technologies such as networking or telecommunications)so as to require experienced people to write/debug/install/upgrade it. So Red Hat's value proposition is that they will offer a professional service, and will charge prices commensurate with their customers' belief that they have solved problems and/or made them more productive.
And the customer chooses Red Hat (or any Linux-based service provider) because the customer pays less money because the software components will cost less than closed source equivalents.
Red Hat and others may not control the technology they use, but the technology (GNU/Linux) is and will remain sufficiently complex (particularly in its interaction with other technologies such as networking or telecommunications)so as to require experienced people to write/debug/install/upgrade it. So Red Hat's value proposition is that they will offer a professional service, and will charge prices commensurate with their customers' belief that they have solved problems and/or made them more productive.
And the customer chooses Red Hat (or any Linux-based service provider) because the customer pays less money because the software components will cost less than closed source equivalents.
