You may have noticed late last week that Linspire was officially retired. Or perhaps you didn't. No matter. Given Linspire's rocky history with the GPL and its inability to get traction with consumers, it's an unsurprising move as Xandros seeks to consolidate its assets.
Of perhaps more note is the fact that the Open Source Applications Foundation finally released version 1.0 of its Chandler program. Glyn Moody tries to put a happy face on the release, but the fact is that it's several years too late. It was a good idea back when it was launched but, as Glyn writes, as a "very definite, but *abstract*, idea" it failed miserably.
Note to other open-source projects: "Abstract" worked for Picasso. It won't for you.
Perhaps the lesson in both Linspire and Chandler is just how hard it is to build a strong consumer-facing business. For those who pooh-pooh Microsoft's success as "mere marketing" I have a suggestion: You need to get into this "mere marketing" business. It has a way of driving adoption. It matters.
I guess it was just a matter of determining how long Mitch Kapor's patience would last, since he has enough money to fuel a dead project for a loooonnnggggg time.
He fed Chandler and the Open Source Applications Foundation for six years on the premise that it would deliver a mind-blowingly innovative PIM (personal information management) suite.
Mitch Kapor
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET News.com)Six years later, Chandler just blows.
OSAF announced this week that Kapor is leaving and taking his funding with him. It's about time.
Kapor--the designer of Lotus 1-2-3, the co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the founding chairman of the Mozilla Foundation, and the chairman of Linden Labs--certainly can find other things to do.
OSAF wasn't a bad idea, and Chandler wasn't either. But neither was managed particularly well. Time to move on.
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