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Linux did not supplant Windows by copying it, but it did supplant proprietary Unix. Most (not all) really successful infrastructure open source projects tend to

Linux did not supplant Windows by copying it, but it did supplant proprietary Unix. Most (not all) really successful infrastructure open source projects tend to be implementations of standards (MySQL/SQL, Apache/HTTP, Bind/DNS, etc.) In this case the defacto standard is AWS and there is certainly a lot of value in offering a compatible alternative. For me, the main issue is that most people want to use a cloud, not run one. Obviously your case is different because you are a web hosting company that want to compete with Amazon. My take is that it is going to be incredibly difficult to match Amazon technology and pricing and that existing web hosting companies will get consolidated and disappear. Please note this is not what I wish and I am not arguing this would be good for the ecosystem either, just that what it looks to me it is heading to.

ebbv 15y ago
A couple of things here, I'd say: - EC2/AWS may be the de facto standard but it's not an actual standard the way SQL/HTTP/DNS are so I don't think the comparison is totally accurate. I think there's plenty of room to supplant AWS by offering a better system. - There's plenty of room to compete with Amazon. Despite what you might think their prices are actually pretty high with plenty of room for even small hosts to undercut them. There's a reason that it's been so successful for Amazon; they are making a mint on it. The big problem for smaller hosts wanting to compete with Amazon is that there's currently no ready made cloud solution that's 100% end user ready. Every single solution on the market requires some amount of custom coding in order to bring it up to end user quality. Which is frustrating.
- ridruejo 15y ago
  A de facto standard is still a standard. Windows was the de facto standard in desktop OS in the 90s and there was plenty of room for technical improvements. But because it became standard and the network effects kicked in, there was little incentive and a lot of cost for ISVs, system integrators, etc. to support alternative platforms. The problem for smaller hosts is not that they don't have a ready made cloud solution, it is that they are never, ever, going to be able to match Amazon in terms of scale or efficiency. ISVs are going to support the platform that allows them to reach more users, users are going to choose the platform that has the apps/functionality they want. People are going to need customized cloud solutions, but my take is that they will be provided by third parties on top of Amazon, not as an alternative to it.
wmf 15y ago
Most (not all) really successful infrastructure open source projects tend to be implementations of standards (MySQL/SQL, Apache/HTTP, Bind/DNS, etc.) In this case the defacto standard is AWS... But x86 HVM, Ethernet, IPv4, IPv6, NFS, SCSI, etc. are also standards... that EC2 doesn't support (fully). There is room in the market for standards-based IaaS IMO.
- ridruejo 15y ago
  There are room for other solutions, my point is that they are going to be marginal at best if the only differentiation factor is that they support more standards.
  - wmf 15y ago
    I didn't really explain myself well. The standards I mentioned have features that EC2 doesn't have, and those features make apps cheaper, more reliable, and easier to develop. Also, standards compliance makes it easier to migrate between cloud and non-cloud. It's not just because.
    - ridruejo 15y ago
      I am not sure the standards mentioned help make the apps more reliable, cheaper, easier to develop, at least in the traditional "higher level of the stack". Most people associate offerings like Heroku to those qualities (and they build on top of EC2). But even assuming that is the case, once the ecosystem is built around a standard platform (Windows in the 90s in my example) then no amount of technical features can effectively compete with it. You need a different approach. Microsoft in the Desktop was not beaten by a better Linux Desktop, but it will be by a combination of Google apps, the iPad, etc.

ebbv 15y ago

A couple of things here, I'd say: - EC2/AWS may be the de facto standard but it's not an actual standard the way SQL/HTTP/DNS are so I don't think the comparison is totally accurate. I think there's plenty of room to supplant AWS by offering a better system. - There's plenty of room to compete with Amazon. Despite what you might think their prices are actually pretty high with plenty of room for even small hosts to undercut them. There's a reason that it's been so successful for Amazon; they are making a mint on it. The big problem for smaller hosts wanting to compete with Amazon is that there's currently no ready made cloud solution that's 100% end user ready. Every single solution on the market requires some amount of custom coding in order to bring it up to end user quality. Which is frustrating.

ridruejo 15y ago
A de facto standard is still a standard. Windows was the de facto standard in desktop OS in the 90s and there was plenty of room for technical improvements. But because it became standard and the network effects kicked in, there was little incentive and a lot of cost for ISVs, system integrators, etc. to support alternative platforms. The problem for smaller hosts is not that they don't have a ready made cloud solution, it is that they are never, ever, going to be able to match Amazon in terms of scale or efficiency. ISVs are going to support the platform that allows them to reach more users, users are going to choose the platform that has the apps/functionality they want. People are going to need customized cloud solutions, but my take is that they will be provided by third parties on top of Amazon, not as an alternative to it.

wmf 15y ago

Most (not all) really successful infrastructure open source projects tend to be implementations of standards (MySQL/SQL, Apache/HTTP, Bind/DNS, etc.) In this case the defacto standard is AWS... But x86 HVM, Ethernet, IPv4, IPv6, NFS, SCSI, etc. are also standards... that EC2 doesn't support (fully). There is room in the market for standards-based IaaS IMO.

ridruejo 15y ago
There are room for other solutions, my point is that they are going to be marginal at best if the only differentiation factor is that they support more standards.
- wmf 15y ago
  I didn't really explain myself well. The standards I mentioned have features that EC2 doesn't have, and those features make apps cheaper, more reliable, and easier to develop. Also, standards compliance makes it easier to migrate between cloud and non-cloud. It's not just because.
  - ridruejo 15y ago
    I am not sure the standards mentioned help make the apps more reliable, cheaper, easier to develop, at least in the traditional "higher level of the stack". Most people associate offerings like Heroku to those qualities (and they build on top of EC2). But even assuming that is the case, once the ecosystem is built around a standard platform (Windows in the 90s in my example) then no amount of technical features can effectively compete with it. You need a different approach. Microsoft in the Desktop was not beaten by a better Linux Desktop, but it will be by a combination of Google apps, the iPad, etc.