DreamWorks Animation 'Shrek the Third': Linux Feeds an Ogre (Linux Journal)

Posted Jun 7, 2007 0:05 UTC (Thu) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link]

No, no, you're both entirely correct. The advantage the DreamWorks guy is
pleased to have is the advantage of complete freedom to define how his
software works. Which is not typically an advantage of proprietary
software you buy from somewhere *else*. It's something you get by
developing your code in-house and not supporting other users, which is
equally "proprietary".

Of course, DreamWorks gets this advantage as much by building on Free
Software components as it does through "NIH syndrome". It's a bit weird
that the guy uses this word in that context -- "in-house" would have been
the more appropriate term.

Posted Jun 7, 2007 14:26 UTC (Thu) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]

I'm not a native speaker either, but see xoddam's comment, he's spot on.

I pointed out the "custom" or "in-house" thing to make clear that the picture isn't as grim as it might look.

As for NIH/making it a community effort: They're quite big, probably big enough to not need anyone else. Opening it all up might help others too, those others being their rivals (of course long term it helps them too, but initially it won't. And the home users have much other requirements than them). The smaller studios working more together would make more sense.