Re: Download links

Andrew Sullivan wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 14, 2008 at 09:19:42AM -0400, Chander Ganesan wrote:
>
>   
>> This is exactly the sort of thing that I'm concerned about.  Now company, 
>> Y, Z, etc. can do the same thing, or even OTG can re-package PostgreSQL and 
>> perform the same set of tasks.
>>     
>
> Yes, of course.  That's just a consequence of the BSD license, no?
>   
Actually, I'm referring to the fact that the "de facto" method of 
downloading PostgreSQL now funnels folks over the EDB, where their 
information is collected - likely for marketing purposes.   Information 
that provides EDB lots of information that the community-at-large isn't 
privy to, information that provides EDB a competitive advantage in this 
marketplace, simply by the virtue of packaging PostgreSQL and 
re-distributing it.

The point I was making is that if its the community policy to let a 
publisher of a "packaged" version of PostgreSQL host their published 
package, any number of community contributors could claim the same right 
- where would we be then?

Furthermore, I think that the current method is unfair, it's one thing 
to have some web stats that say who downloaded the software, it's 
entirely another thing to have their name, phone number, email address, 
and other information that can be used for direct marketing of the 
product.  Is that information shared with the community at large?  Does 
the community sanction the collection of such information?  where does 
that leave the numerous other companies that provide service, support, 
developers, and monetary contributions to the project, but don't go to 
the trouble to re-package and host PostgreSQL?

While I applaud the efforts of EDB to re-package PostgreSQL in a more 
usable form, I'm opposed to the fact that the community sends folks who 
want to download PostgreSQL to their site, where they ask for lots of 
consumer details, which provide them with a significant competitive 
advantage.  That's information that's not available to Dextra, 2nd 
Quadrant, Command Prompt, OTG, or others....

In previous emails, Dave mentioned that the information that EDB has at 
its disposal by hosting downloads isn't much more than the information 
that any contributor would be able to access via Postgresql.org web 
reports.  I think that's false - in a major way.

More than half the battle is knowing who might be a potential customer....

-- 
Chander Ganesan
Open Technology Group, Inc.
One Copley Parkway, Suite 210
Morrisville, NC  27560
919-463-0999/877-258-8987
http://www.otg-nc.com