Open Revolution: The War is Over, but the Battles Continue
The 'Open Revolution' continues, but the war is really over. Everywhere you look you see the spreading use of open solutions in every industry, e.g. open source, open access, open data, open standards, open architecture, hardware... It's everywhere.
A decade ago, people used to look at advocates of the 'open way' like they were crazy fanatics. Gartner, Forrester, and most other major consulting firms didn't just ignore the open movement, they actively advocated against the use of open source solutions. Today, they've changed their tune.
Today you see 'open solution' being embraced in manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, transportation, technology, art, finance, publishing, government... You name the industry, and you'll find a growing list of companies producing or using 'open solutions'. It's big business now.
In essence, the global 'open movement' and the impact of the growing wave of 'open solutions' is leading to the emergence of a robust 'open culture' and more 'open societies' around the world as we move deeper into the 21st century 'Information Age'.
That doesn't mean there are no more challenges, battles, or rear guard skirmishes to be fought. There are still a lot of companies fighting the overwhelming trend. I guess they are like the buggy whip makers at the turn of the last century, who were fighting the spread of mass production and the Industrial Revolution.
But it is not just 'closed' minded companies that are fighting a losing battle against the 'open way'. There are still many countries and 'closed' tribal societies around the world that have not yet embraced the 'open movement'. Just look at Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and many other countries.
The war is over, but the battles will continue for another 20-30 years. It will be interesting to see how events unfold and the world changes as the 'Open Revolution' and the 'Open Movement' continue to spread across the world.
