Author: Dirk Riehle

  • The business impact of inner source and how to quantify it [CSUR Journal]

    The business impact of inner source and how to quantify it [CSUR Journal]

    Abstract Inner-source software development is the practice of using open source practices for firm-internal software development. Practitioner reports have shown that inner source can increase flexibility and reduce costs. Despite the potential benefits of inner source, there has been little research on its impact on businesses and their processes. To address this gap, we conducted…

  • How to win with open source and openness (in German) [F.A.Z.-Institut Managementkompass]

    How to win with open source and openness (in German) [F.A.Z.-Institut Managementkompass]

    I’m happy to report about a new trade magazine publication, aimed at the German C-level suite, about how to win in business using open source and openness. The article is written in German and you can read it here. The overall issue including all other articles is also available (local copy). Reference: Riehle, D. (2023).…

  • Open source promises not made and broken

    Open source promises not made and broken

    Using open-source software in products and projects is not a no-brainer. Like with any software, introducing a dependency on an open source component creates a lock-in that should be thought through well. All too often, people are lazy when thinking (or not thinking) through such decisions. Case in point 1: An open source programmer on…

  • Openness is a red Herring, lock-in is the real deal

    Openness is a red Herring, lock-in is the real deal

    If you are using Red Hat Enterprise Linux, it should be easy to switch to Suse Linux Enterprise Server, right? You’d do that if you disagree with Red Hat’s pricing and Suse provides a better deal. Sadly, a real-world calculation has to take the switching costs into account, because RHEL and SLES are not exactly…

  • The corporate open source strategy [Rebooting Computing Conference]

    The corporate open source strategy [Rebooting Computing Conference]

    Today I’m giving a talk on the corporate open source strategy at the TTI Vanguard Rebooting Computing conference. In the available 30 min. I’m focusing on the perspective of software users, as this is not a conference for the software industry but for everyone else (with a stronghold in financial services). Below please find a…

  • Upcoming talks in June and July 2023

    Upcoming talks in June and July 2023

    2023-05-31: User-led open source projects (free, in person, in Berlin) at Open Logistics Foundation’s Open Source Innovation Day 2023 2023-06-23: The corporate open source strategy (commercial, in person, in Montreal) at the TTI/Vanguard Rebooting Computing conference 2023-06-26: Creating a ROS Distribution (free, in person, in Lisbon) at INESC-ID / University of Lisbon respectively, courtesy of…