What if Apple went true Open Source?

[eytanb]

What would happen if Apple went true open source? The real thing, no longer charging for the software. But benefiting all the more as AppleOS is seen for what it is, the best current user interface. Apple could still get plenty of profit off of its other products, which would of course benefit from the special connection with Apple (they would be able to charge a premium and be encouraged to make a better product).

 

[superbovine]

What would happen if Apple went true open source? The real thing, no longer charging for the software. But benefiting all the more as AppleOS is seen for what it is, the best current user interface. Apple could still get plenty of profit off of its other products, which would of course benefit from the special connection with Apple (they would be able to charge a premium and be encouraged to make a better product).

Since Apple is a publicly traded company they have a fiduciary responsibility to make money for it's investors. if that means charging for software in their business model, they will do that. also if they open sources their gui, you would see ports to the x86. this would hurt apple in a big way, because it would open up fast running clones of the aqua interface. this would be a very bad choice on behalf of it's shareholders.

As to the Apple as the best current user interface. That is a subjective matter. There is are many ways to measure the best user interface using many different variables. from a business view if you throw in retraining windows users and purchasing mac's the cost vs changing to a Mac's might not be a viable option, thus not the best option. you could also measure is user friendlness and initutiveness or even realiability.

 

[robbieduncan]

The non-GUI layers (i.e. the BSD/Mach Unix layer) is already available under an Apple open source license under the name Darwin. The current version is 7.4 (corresponds to 10.3.4). It is available for PPC Apple hardware and x86. Note that this does not let you run Mac software. It does not contain the Window Server, Carbon or Cocoa APIs and so on. You can use it to run x11 like a normal Unix.

 

[Krizoitz]

What would happen if Apple went true open source? The real thing, no longer charging for the software. But benefiting all the more as AppleOS is seen for what it is, the best current user interface. Apple could still get plenty of profit off of its other products, which would of course benefit from the special connection with Apple (they would be able to charge a premium and be encouraged to make a better product).

Um, I'm guessing complete disaster.

 

[MacFan26]

I've heard Bill Gates and a few other people say more that once that hardware will be free within five years. So, if this happens, what will happen to the companies that are totally open source? Free hardware, free software? Especially since Apple depends a lot on its unique hardware, I don't see them open sourcing their whole system. (I don't think any of that made sense)

 

[cb911]

if Apple went OpenSource? what the... ?

well they make quite alot of their profit from software, so much that there was talk of Apple moving their software side of things to make up more of the total business.

and also, it takes quite alot of money for R&D of new products, i'm sure.

 

[Sun Baked]

If they did that...

I guess they could start litigating with everybody on the planet, like that other Unix house, to make a return on their dollar.