Dr Open Source – how I learned to stop worrying and love the GPL –
A couple of weeks ago professor Maria Lillà Montagnani invited me to give a speech along with Pierpaolo Boccadamo, head of Microsoft’s Platform Strategy by the Italian subsidiary, by Bocconi private University.
I have already met Boccadamo when I took part to the Microsoft’s “Linux&Open Source Briefing” partner program as open source expert, and I was already used to openly discuss with him about technical ed economical differences of the proprietary and open source models.
I spent part of the weekend to prepare my slides, and I was looking forward to listen to sudents’ questions to my statements and suggestions. The slideshow was starting with a picture of the famous movie Dr StrangeLove, a little parody I did to get their attention. After a brief introduction I got into the heart of the argument, talking about organizational economics aspects and other issues about innovation.
To my suprise no questions were raised up when I was speaking firms and communities relationships, neither when I talked about disruptive innovation, and how it affects incumbents’ market leadership, nor when I mentioned sequential innovation and technology club partecipation.
Than Boccadamo spoke about Google, Microsoft strategy, and many other things.
Again, no question from the public.
If Picasso was definitely right saying that:
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
What about a class without questions?
Roberto Galoppini and 
zeno 6:07 pm on December 18, 2006 Permalink
I’d say “what a sadness” but I studied in Bocconi and I know what you mean. There, people who ask (and think for themselves) is a niche. I don’t mind if this fact is common among the other univerties but, unfortunately, Bocconi is the cradle of the future italian management, of the economic structure so that I’m worried about our country.
Roberto Galoppini 8:30 pm on December 18, 2006 Permalink
You told that: Bocconi is the cradle of the future management, but what kind of? If they have no questions to ask today, they better to learn how to answer yes or no by tomorrow.
I love Shunryo Suzuki-Roshi quotation
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few” and I hope it still makes sense.